A research project by charities and social service agencies resulted in seven key findings when analysing how to tackle Bermuda's "aggressive and complex social problems".

They were:

¦ As Bermuda was experiencing economic success due to the growth of international business, the tourism industry was diminishing.

The economic recession has further weakened Bermuda's tourism industry, and has resulted in a slowdown in international business.

¦ This resulted in a social environment where more people were out of work, the cost of living was higher, the workplace skill set had changed dramatically from tourism-related to business-related, and the island's housing infrastructure became significantly stressed.

¦ It also meant Bermuda did not have the number of skilled employees required to sustain international business, and foreign workers were brought to the Island.

Government began to rely more on non-profits to deliver services, but these agencies faced funding problems.

¦ The primary issues of concern for Bermudians today are crime, drugs, education, housing and ageing.

However, actual donor giving does not always align with these social priorities. One of the main reasons seems to be the shortage of non-profit agencies able to tackle some of these major community challenges.

¦ Although funders are looking more closely and critically at agencies and their services, the social service agencies do not tend to have the infrastructure or capacity to respond effectively. In addition, it is difficult to prevent duplication and gaps in services, due to a lack of generally available data.

¦ The top three social issues identified were inadequate education, lack of adequate life skills, and unaddressed multi-generational trauma.

¦ Existing services appear to be missing the mark in some areas.

For example, the majority of educational services target youth, but services for young people at risk of dropping out of school and for disconnected young adults are very limited.

More prevention services are greatly needed.