Readers may have the impression from reading criticism of the Budget this year that there is nothing good in it, and that all additional spending is wrong in the current economic climate. Neither impression is accurate. There are two programmes in the Budget that seem to be worthwhile, and have received additional funding which, on the face of it, seems worthwhile.

One is the child care allowance. this means tested programme enables parents to put their children into affordable and accredited day care, and according to Finance Minister Paula Cox's Budget Statement, is especially helpful to single mothers.

Why is this a good idea? First, it should ensure that small children are spending their days in safe and nurturing environments. Second, it enables parents to work knowing that and gives them both time and money to enrich their children's lives. That's all to the good.

Ms Cox referred to a satisfaction survey carried out last year, and it would be worth making that report public. At the same time, and as the programme grows, it is critical that Government is certain that the day care facilities remain at a high standard and that the allowances are not abused.

The second programme is the Mirrors Programme, which seems to be producing good results and is being expanded to middle and secondary schools where at risk children can be reached earlier.

The only concern here is the lack of reporting about how participants perform after finishing the programme. Given the amount of money and time that is committed to the programme, the public has the right to know how many graduates return to school, how many find jobs and how many stay on the straight and narrow. Otherwise, it is impossible to judge just how successful the programme is.

Helping people

Many people despair about Bermuda's youth, given reports of poor education, rising violence, gangs and the like.

But the reality is that many of Bermuda's young people do remarkably well. It is often the five to ten percent who make their peers look bad. Still, even five or ten percent is unacceptable, and thus it is especially heartening to hear and read stories about young people who turn their lives around.

One such story concerns Nikki Bascome, who was featured in Tuesday's Sport section.

Mr. Bascome recently returned from a tournament in the US where he won a gold medal in boxing. That's no small achievement.

But five years ago, he was an underachieving student who was one of the main strugglers at a school for struggling students – the Educational Centre or TEC.

But thanks to a dedicated teacher, an eye-opening trip to Cuba where he saw students with far less than most young Bermudians working hard and the supervision of boxing trainer Allan (Forty) Rego and Quinn Mallory, Mr. Bascome has turned his life around.

Through boxing, he has found meaning for his life, and it is to be hoped that the discipline necessary in boxing will help him in life as well. Movies are based on stories like Nikki Bascome, because their stories of triumphing over the odds are inspiring. But in real life, our goal needs to be to make people like Mr. Bascome the rule rather than the exception.