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BERMUDA was introduced to Outward Bound in the 1970s, one of many programmes established at that time to foster a better relationship between the island's youth and the police.

Since then, it has successfully met its mission, enabling thousands of youngsters to "discover and develop their potential to care for themselves, others and the world about them through challenging experiences in unfamiliar settings."

Its aim in 2004, however, is to expand its services to the wider community.

"We're now looking at ways to better service the community by increasing awareness," explained police officer and Outward Bound Bermuda co-ordinator Mark Norman, who has been involved with the scheme since 1980.

"Although it's a fairly well-known programme amongst the youth on the island, we don't do an awful lot of adult or corporate programmes, mainly because we're only two full-time staff. With 1,500 kids a year, we get taken up with school courses.

"So (corporate and adult programmes are) areas we could definitely branch out into but it's going to take some growth on our part to be able to do that. We've reached the point now where we think we can actually do an awful lot more and the trustees have been looking at different ways to do that.

"The police are not able to put any more money or any more manpower into it and so we now need to go and negotiate with different Government agencies about how we can expand and provide better and more courses for a greater variety of people."

To further that development, the programme's board of trustees enlisted the guidance of John Hasell, a professional personal and organisational development facilitator and management consultant based in Canada, with long ties to Outward Bound.

"Outward Bound Bermuda wanted to move from this plateau that they've been sitting at," he explained. "They wondered how they could reach out to the more traditional Outward Bound population ? schools are in 44 countries around the world ? where there's generally an older age group involved in longer courses.

"When Outward Bound International heard that Outward Bound Bermuda was looking at expanding, they asked if I would volunteer to come out here to give a hand. My expertise is organisational development and, particularly with Outward Bound, I've done strategic plans that have helped in Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, the United States, Canada and so on. So I flew out ? courtesy of Outward Bound Bermuda ? for 12 days to help develop a strategic plan."

A non-profit organisation, Outward Bound was conceived in 1939, largely through one educator's belief that young people should experience the outdoors while working toward their personal development.

As the inspiration behind the United World Colleges and founder of Scotland's legendary Gordonstoun School, Kurt Hahn shared his vision with others and saw the first Outward Bound School ? the Aberdovey Sea School ? established in 1941 on the west coast of Wales. The Outward Bound Trust was created in 1946, enabling the schools to spread to Britain and its Commonwealth of Nations and eventually other parts of the world. Civil unrest here during the 1960s led to Bermuda's participation in the scheme.

"(Following the unrest), there was an inquiry by a judge in the UK, and one of the things he suggested, was that the police needed try and foster better relationships with the youth," explained PC Norman. "He didn't say how, just that it was something we should do."

A variety of initiatives was explored including the Bermuda Cadet programme and the police cycle gymkhana, before an officer who knew of Outward Bound suggested it might be of benefit.

"In 1970 he set about raising money and sent eight students to the UK where they were split amongst different schools there. They came back and said it was a great experience and for two or three years after that (the police) did the same thing." A local programme would prove even greater benefit, it was decided. And the Department of Youth & Sport partnered with police to bring someone in to train interested officers. Based on Paget Island, the programme saw 50 per cent of the officers' time spent on teaching courses, and the other half travelling to schools to inform students what it was all about.

"From 1974 until about 1995 or 1996, we ran summer courses for five days, always staffed by policemen," PC Norman said. "It was a way for kids to integrate and basically live with, policemen. I'm sure it definitely had a positive effect on a lot of people and changed (their) views of the police. (Previously) they would only see them in uniform; their first interaction normally, was to get a speeding ticket. It just changed their whole view. They learned that policemen didn't just do those sort of jobs.

"In 1996 (former Police Commissioner) Colin Coxall identified certain areas in the Police Service that could be done by civilian employees and not policemen ? that was one of them. He was of the view that policemen hanging around on Paget Island all summer wasn't of great benefit to the police force; that the police should be put back on the streets."

With the officers replaced by former Outward Bound participants and university students on holiday, interaction between the youth and police was limited to one man, PC Norman. It also meant that staffing became more irregular as students couldn't be counted on to return to the island every summer.

"I've always enjoyed working with kids," he said. "When I came here in 1980, I didn't know Outward Bound was here (but) I had done a course in the UK and so I volunteered to help out during the summer courses."

E went on:"Under Mr. Coxall's plan, they left me there as a co-ordinator to oversee what was going on. They were going to employ a civilian to work with me who would afterwards take it over. It hasn't reached that stage yet because nobody's stayed more than two years. We've only ever had two people in the job and they've both been quite young and done a couple years and gone off and done other things.

"We're hoping to negotiate with a number of different bodies to see how we can fund (an expanded programme); how we can better service the whole community ? a wider range of people. That may involve some part of Government. There may be some Government agencies that will be able to use the programme.

"It's very much in the early stages right now. If we can raise funds ourselves, through corporate donations or running more courses, then we can take on more staff. At the moment, we've had this strategic plan put together and we need to sell that to Government and to the police, who still want to remain involved and be a big stakeholder in (it)."

The organisation was also hoping Government could help determine what age of student they should be targeting for participation, he added.

"We want to see if they think perhaps Outward Bound can be better utilised with a certain age group of kids ? where there may be a problem perhaps. So we need their input."

At present, Outward Bound's youth courses are open to children between the ages of ten and 18. Most participants fall into the 12- to 18-year group with the greater numbers opting for the one-day course instead of the five-day course offered during their summer holidays.

"We're hoping to change that around, so that more kids do a five-day course," PC Norman added. "(That way) they actually learn a lot more; the impact on them is far greater than just coming down for a one-day programme which tends to be more of a play day, if you like.

"It gives them a brief insight into what Outward Bound is, but they don't get an awful lot of time to spend there; to discover themselves and their own possibilities and work together in a team which is what Outward Bound's all about."