Community groups are surging ahead with plans to address issues faced by black people in Bermuda.

As the Grassroots Alliance announces another forum for the black community, another organisation is calling together 200 black men for a dinner and motivational speeches.

XL CEO Brian O'Hara, blacksmith Ardie Black and Josue Paulos, head boy at CedarBridge Academy will all be speaking at an April 23 dinner organised by The Writers' Machine at La Coquille.

Schools have been contacted to nominate 100 boys that could benefit from the event, said Rodney Smith, of the Writers' Machine.

And the organisation is asking that they each bring their fathers or any adult male. While the students' participation will be sponsored by the Writers' Machine, the female partners of the adult men are being asked to sponsor them for the dinner.

"It's under the distinguished patronage of Bermuda's educators," said Mr. Smith. "Four organisations have been invited as patrons - the Bermuda College, The Teacher's union, the Association of School Principals and the Bermuda Middle School Association."

The speakers, he said, were all exceptional people who had either achieved success or looked destined to succeed.

Businessman Ardie Black, for example, has been in continuous business for the past 50 years, and Josue Paulos holds the honour of being the only student from a Bermuda public school to be accepted by the United World College in New Mexico.

The theme of the dinner is 'Youth Vision 2003. Success is no mystery'.

"We want to assemble 200 men, 100 students along with their fathers to hear the life stories of our three successful leaders. And we want people to look up to these three men to draw from their experience, to look at the obstacles along the way and the attitude that they had to overcome some of these obstacles and some of the key people who have played a role in their lives."

Mr. Smith said that the event was necessary because Bermuda "is going through a crisis and the crisis does not so much involve our women or our young girls - it involves our young men."

He said : "We applaud the womens' groups but I don't think anything of this kind has been done for our men."

The organisers are hoping to persuade many of the men in attendance to take a pledge and become advocates for the youth.

The role would mean standing by any young person who seeks out their advice and support.

The Writers Machine will also be giving out awards for sporting contributions (named after Tommy Aitcheson), community leadership (Sir John Swan award) and sustainable development.

"These are the types of things that the Writers Machine is doing to thank people that are continuously working for the improvement of Bermuda. We don't want to thank them only after they've gone we want to thank them now."

Meanwhile the Grassroots Alliance which has already held a well attended forum on issues faced by the black community, has announced that the second forum will take place May 29 at St. Paul's Centennial Hall on Court Street.

The agenda for the panel discussion is Black Economic Empowerment in the 21st Century.

"It will also explore how issues relating to the current Black psyche have served as perceived impediments to achieving the stated goal of economic empowerment for the African Bermudian community," according to a press statement from the organisation.

"We are also pleased to announce that audience evaluation forms returned to us by audience members at the just concluded Black Agenda 2003 forum which explored the State of the Black community indicate that there exists approval of and support for Black Agenda 2003 as an ongoing initiative."

The statement added that the first forum, which attracted close to 400 people, was highly rated by participants.