As violence amongst the youth is highlighted almost daily in the local press, the role of youth-based organisations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Bermuda and YouthNet are becoming vital in developing leadership skills, responsibility and personal accountability in younger children.

Executive director of Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Esme Williams says there are currently 58 children waiting to be matched, while Clare Mello, the executive director of YouthNet has 144 students on her waiting list with each of these numbers expected to rise with the start of the new school year as more students sign up.

Meanwhile YouthNet already has 295 successful relationships and aims to increase this numbers by 100 every year, while Big Brothers & Big Sisters have 88 matched "bigs" and "littles".

As a community-based programme, Big Brothers & Big Sisters' mentors spend as much social time as they can with their littles, while YouthNet is school-based and mentors spend an hour a week with their mentees at their respective schools.

As part of their ongoing growth, YouthNet launched PeerNet, a peer mentoring programme which allows senior school pupils to mentor pupils from primary and middle schools.

The programme was so successful that there are now close to 100 peer mentors, including 17-year-old Warwick Academy students Cheyenne Trott and Justin Maybury who both mentored pupils at Paget Primary last year.

"It is so rewarding when you show up at a school and there are all these kids screaming your name. It's not just your kids that love you, all the kids adore the mentors and it's so fulfilling to have these youngsters looking up to you," Cheyenne chuckles.

The one thing that struck her was how these youngsters experienced peer pressure: "But from my own experience, I was able to help them though it."

Unfortunately Cheyenne leaves for college in the fall so her three mentees return to a waiting list.

However Justin will continue to mentor one of his two mentees, who joins him at Warwick Academy in September.

"It will make being his mentor so much easier," he adds.

Justin is quick to add that both his mentees were good students, so he believes he had it a little easier than other mentors who might have had children with various challenges: "In the end you are more than just a mentor, you become their friend and it made me feel really good about myself because I had the opportunity to give something back."

He believes lots of children in Bermuda are in less-than-perfect home environments and as a mentor it becomes your responsibility to instil trust and guide them in the right direction.

"It gives these children something to look forward to," he declares. "No matter what, they know you will be there."

A year ago Southampton resident Michael Swan joined YouthNet as an adult mentor because he felt it was important to give something back to the community.

"It has been very rewarding and I have a great kid. We bonded right away and I must say I feel I have had a positive impact on his life and will definitely do it again next year," he says.

When they are not playing football with some of the other children at the school, the two will simply sit and talk.

"Earlier on we read together because his reading skills were not that great and it paid off because at the end of last year he told me he came second in his class. I was blown away," he adds.

Joseph Marable is a Big Brother with Big Brothers & Sisters in Bermuda and feels the programme has enriched his life beyond belief.

He is a Big Brother to 11-year-old Deken Saunders who lives with his grandmother in St. George's.

"I see a lot of me in him when I was his age," Mr. Marable says with a chuckle. "He is very thoughtful and appreciative of every little thing you do for him and he is very polite."

The two instantly bonded at their first meeting and when Deken could not get into a camp last summer, he joined Mr. Marable at his business: "We were sitting getting something to eat and I asked him if he was having fun and I said 'You never know, maybe one day you might run this place' and he said 'I hope so' and that said to me that he wanted to do something with his life and he has ambition."

Despite long working hours, Mr. Marable made the commitment to Deken to spend as much time together as possible and last month Deken became "a part of the family" when Mr. Marable's young nephew from Spain came to visit and the two boys became instant friends, spending almost a week together at the Marable home.

Besides a step-daughter, Mr. Marable does not have any children of his own and wiping away a tear in a rather emotional moment, he shares that Deken fills a void in his life: "A good friend once said to his life," A good friend once told me, 'Just because you don't have any children of your own, does not mean you can't have a positive impact on a child's life' and this always stuck with me.

"I had a lot of positive people in my life when I was young and when I look at him, I see a lot of that.

"I believe this young man will do something positive with his life and if I can contribute even a small part to that, it means a lot to me," he surmises.

But it was not always easy stepping up to the plate and accepting this kind of responsibility for a young child.

When Mr. Marable lived in Atlanta, he mentored a young boy for almost five years, but the boy was shot and killed at 17. Because of this experience, he was a bit apprehensive about joining the volunteer organisation.

"I was wary because of what happened, but I decided this was something I needed to do and I believe spending even a little bit of time... it's still time and that's what these kids need," he explains.

When asked why anyone should get involved in mentoring, Mr. Marable says it is important to let the youth know that there is someone there for them, especially children from single-parent families who do not always have a male role-model in their lives.

"When there isn't anyone in their life, they will turn to people who will be there for them, whether it's drugs or gangs, so it's the community's responsibility.

"If you want to see positive change, you have to take responsibility for our youth," he elaborates.

And what does Deken think about Mr. Marable?

"Joseph has been more than just a big brother in my life," the youngster responded in a note he handed Mr. Marable before leaving for summer camp. A sentiment which brought tears to Mr. Marable's eyes.

At the 2005 Big Brothers & Big Sisters Christmas party, unmatched boys far outnumbered unmatched girls and Big Sister Sue Wyatt says it broke her heart to see so many young boys without guidance at the age "where they need it most".

A British guest worker, Ms Wyatt became a Big Sister to 11-year-old Daja-nae Smith a year ago because she too wanted to give back to the community.

She admits that despite their age difference, they have a lot in common, including baking, which is why they were matched by Big Brothers & Big Sisters.

Daja-nae's development is very important to Ms Wyatt and while the youngster thinks they are simply baking, she uses this ploy to develop reading skills: "I want to help her with her reading without her realising it, so to her she's just baking, but she doesn't realise she's also learning because I have her reading the recipes."

Another method Ms Wyatt utilises to help Daja-nae develop her potential is to pick a country once a month and incorporate it into everything they do.

This includes visiting a restaurant, be it Italian, Japanese, Chinese or Indian, and discussing the various traditions and cultures of these countries throughout the month.

"I did this so that she would have something to hang onto because she knows there are so many countries we still have to visit," she furthers.

The Big Sister adds that she always wants Daja-nae to "count on me to be there for her", no matter the circumstance.

Deja-nae has four siblings and Ms Wyatt says she sometimes takes a younger sister with them on outings.

"Her Big Sister left so she's still waiting for another one," Deja-nae adds.

To find out more about YouthNet visit www.youthnet.bm, or contact Ms Mello at 294-5300 or 294-5602, while Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Bermuda can be contacted at 232-2802.