kids brought family problems out of the closet and under the spotlight.

Sex, drugs and reggae sessions were all up for public discussion as moms, dads and teens debated how to bridge the generation gap.

But the issues dominating the debate were curfews, mutual trust and bad influences from children's peers.

The event, attended by about 30 youngsters and more than twice as many adults, was held by Club Resppec...t, which tries to boost communication between adults and youth.

The group, started by barber Mr. Cromwell Shakir after his teenage son Rajaee was beaten up, says this is a first step in stopping youth violence. After the meeting at Warwick secondary school he called on neighbourhoods all over the Island to hold similar meetings.

A talk show-type panel was the focus for searching questions and passionate speeches.

Adult panellists were single parent Mr. George Scott, step-parent Ms Hatheann Gilbert and "disciplinarian'' father-of-three Mr. Tommy Harvey.

They were joined by Mr. Oranthus Turner, 18, Miss Zakiya Johnson, 15, and Mr.

Webster Mills, 22.

In charge of proceedings were teacher Mr. Radell Tankard and "the new Oprah Winfrey of Bermuda'' Miss Nakia Smith, 17.

One father called for more "rebel'' youngsters to attend future meetings. He said he was pleased with the comments he had heard from the young people present.

"But I wish we had some rebels here tonight. I was looking for a whole lot of young people putting parents down and telling us where to get off.'' Most of the youth seemed to understand parents' fears and agree with curfews, provided their parents respected and trusted them.

Mr. Shakir condemned promoter Mr. Choy Aming for opening events late. And a teacher told the meeting she had seen some of her 13-year-old students on the streets in the early hours of the morning.

"If you burn yourself out before you're 20, what's left for you to do in Bermuda?'' But a young man urged grown-ups to allow children to develop more freely.

"Sometimes parents have to learn they can't push their dreams on their children. Children are people too.'' And a teenage girl reminded adults they created modern society. "We're living in an environment which is pushing drugs on us, and there's peer pressure.

"But parents, we're what you are. You bring us up for all these years.'' A father-of-six said:"My 14-year-old daughter came to me one day and she said: `Daddy, it's hard being a teenager'.

"We've sold this present generation out because we said we would give them all the material things we didn't have.

"But we didn't give them the love and support,'' he said, to applause. "How many times do they actually tell their children that they love them?'' asked one teenage girl of the adults.

A major theme for adults and teens was that parents should set an example -- not go to the same parties as their kids or play music above legal levels. One man said: "I see the main problem in our society right now is that when children do finally decide to come home, the parents are nowhere to be found.

Perhaps we should put a curfew on parents.'' Adults should tell kids honestly about their own mistakes, a mother said.

There was some discussion about whether girls pressured boys into having sex or the other way round.

Some parents worried about girls wearing revealing clothes and hanging out outside the Sunsplash stars' hotel.

But a teenage girl defended the right of women to wear what they wanted.

"Women have self-control and I think men should get some too.''