A youth empowerment programme is appealing to the business community to help secure jobs for young Bermudians.

Tory Darrell, assistant coordinator of the Mirrors programme, said the economic downturn and the reluctance of businesses to help place young men in the workforce has hindered the programme's ability to help young Bermudians.

Mr. Darrell said: "It is a grave concern for us because we do a significant amount of work with these young guys to alter their mindset about the way things are and the possibilities that they can have.

"Then to come out of the programme and still be unable to fulfil basic needs like work can be very discouraging for them. They will face a lot of personal conflict and ask 'do I continue on this path or do I go back and do what I know will generate me some income?'."

Mirrors is a personal development and youth empowerment programme aimed towards at-risk young men.

It consists of a nine-week enrolment, a six-day residential and a nine-day follow-through programme. All participants have elected to sign up.

According to Mr. Darrell, the primary goal is to empower young people to "live a life rich with possibility".

"We help them to set goals for themselves and we support them through volunteers and mentors to accomplish those goals," he said.

"Through this process they will understand what it takes to generate the energy to achieve that goal. We have overseas consultants that come in to facilitate some of the residential programmes but mostly we are supported by volunteers from the community."

Mr. Darrell said one of the biggest problems facing Mirrors graduates was a lack of opportunities for people without a high school diploma.

"What we are looking for are employers who are willing to be considerate to people who are making a positive choice for their future," he said.

"A lot of these young men don't have GEDs at the moment but are working towards one. We need employers to be lenient and provide them with a job while they are working to fulfil those requirements."

And while it is particularly hard for Bermudians without GEDs or high school diplomas to get jobs, young men who have graduated from high school are also struggling.

Robert Hill, 22, is involved in the Mirrors programme and is a high school graduate.

"Going out there and trying to find a job is probably the biggest challenge I have had so far," said Mr. Hill.

"I have been out there looking, but it is always the same thing.

"Companies tell you they will call you back but never do, they ignore the calls that I put in to ask about my application or they just send me a letter telling me that my application has been declined."

And one Mirrors volunteer, Lindley Scott Jr., 22, said he had been denied construction jobs because he was overqualified.

"I have had two occasions where they told me that my skills are too much for the job that I was applying for," said Mr. Scott.

"I am a father of a newborn and I just need something to pay the bills. I had planned to get a job and take night classes to pursue my goals but it is not easy to go to night school when you can't provide for your child.

"I am motivated to do it but when you get shut down so quick it brings anger to you. It makes you think that 'I could just go back to the streets and make the fast money.'."

Mr. Darrell said he believed that there was a disconnect between what society wanted and what society was willing to do to achieve what they want.

"Society wants young people off the walls," he said. "There is a perception that the youth of a Bermuda are unproductive and anti-social.

"What people don't realise is that there are young people out there that are interested and who do want to make a difference. They want a job, they want an opportunity, what Mirrors does is supply them with the platform that they need to move forward and assist them in seeing how they can actually achieve that.

"But the economy has made this even more challenging.

"Mirrors is appealing to the business community at large to consider two things," said Mr. Darrell.

"Obviously we want employers to consider those young Bermudians who have completed high school and are on track to higher education but we are asking them to be compassionate towards those that may not have completed their GED but are actively pursuing their GED."

According to Mr. Darrell more than 110 people have completed the Mirrors programme while there are 20 students currently enrolled and 67 who have applied for the upcoming session for 15- to 18-year-olds.