LESS than two weeks after being sworn in as Minister of Community Affairs & Sport Dale Butler admits that adjusting to his new Cabinet role has been taxing, describing the post-election period as "a learning curve".

However, Mr. Butler remains characteristically positive, outlining his immediate plans and foremost concerns in an interview with the Mid-Ocean News.

"My position as Minister includes Community Affairs, Libraries, Cultural Affairs, Youth, Sport and Recreation, and Human Affairs," Mr. Butler explained. "I would say the next month is really going to be a learning process for me, as there so many tentacles.

"My first responsibility is to accomplish the goals outlined by the Progressive Labour Party in its platform, and to do so as cost-effectively and creatively as possible while working closely over the next four or five years with my Cabinet colleagues."

One of the rebel 11 MPs involved in ousting Jennifer Smith from her Premiership, Mr. Butler intends to deal with some "unfinished business" before embarking on new initiatives.

"The PLP survived a major crisis in its history and I think it was a welcome change, welcomed by a community that now wants to see the Government really deliver on its promises," Mr. Butler said. "We cannot get sidetracked by issues that come up from time to time.

"There has been a lot of unfinished business that I have been dealing with, which unfortunately I am not at liberty to discuss in detail," Mr. Butler admitted. "It has to go before the Cabinet, and in that regard, I am trying to get on top of things."

Renowned for his enthusiasm for personal initiatives, Mr. Butler has had to put individual projects aside in accordance with the demands of his new post.

"I had some personal pet projects, but one of the things I've learned is that now I am not speaking as an individual but as a member of a team called the Cabinet.

"I'm not going to mention any more pet projects or ideas until such time that I've found room for them in this ministry, or I've shared them with my colleagues and they become a part of Government policy. I had to learn that lesson right away.

"You do not operate independently," he went on. "You're constantly checking with your colleagues and you're constantly ensuring that the Cabinet is aware of what you're doing, so there are no surprises anywhere."

In addition to his position in the Cabinet and as a Minister, Mr. Butler is the Director of Training, Leadership and Communications at MEF Ltd's group of restaurants which includes the Little Venice, La Trattoria and Lido.

"It's a major responsibility given the fact that our business has increased recently," he admitted. "We're at the airport and on the ferries. We purchased Four Ways in the last 12 months and we have a nightclub now at The Deep."

WHILE balancing two demanding jobs has been especially challenging, Mr. Butler has not neglected his new governmental duties, and has accomplished his immediate goal of familiarising himself with the ministries under his jurisdiction.

"It was my aim to get to every ministry within a week of my appointment," he explained. "By Wednesday of this week, I will have seen them all; Human Affairs was my last one."

One of Mr. Butler's primary goals is to rectify the state of Bermuda's young people, who, along with senior citizens, constitute a key concern for his ministry.

"Over and over, we were told that the youth represented a major problem in Bermuda," he explained. "Youth is a high priority. In addition, everyone is concerned about seniors, whether it's programmes or additional funding.

"The Government will be addressing the seniors' homes, and you'll hear about it in the future."

Mr. Butler hopes to involve youth leaders in decision-making, perhaps in conjunction with the input of seniors.

"I've thrown out a number of initiatives to the Cultural Affairs Board to consider, and they'll be coming back to me with feedback. However, there were some issues that we didn't have answers for," he admitted.

"We decided to send these issues to Youth Parliament. For example, the involvement between seniors and young people is limited. Why not consider the possibility of having seniors answer some of the questions that young people have? Get them working together."

A second initiative Mr. Butler is considering similarly falls under the ambit of Youth.

"I will be discussing how to get our university students more involved when they come home for the summer with some of the problems facing Bermuda," he explained. "For instance, our workmen's clubs have certain strengths and weaknesses. Why not get the young people of Bermuda along with some seniors in the community to do a comprehensive review of Bermuda's clubs?"

Mr. Butler hopes young people will be able to help resolve the problem of bike theft in Bermuda. "That's one way of getting them on board," he said.

In addition, Mr. Butler has discussed an initiative with Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton concerning the disturbing number of young people found loitering in Par-la-Ville Park and other public spaces.

"This is something very simple but it could make a difference. We should go do a survey on them, or an interview. Why are they there, just moping around? Why don't they have jobs?"

Subject to Mr. Horton's approval, Mr. Butler intends to make himself accessible by writing these young people letters, providing them with his contact information.

"I will see them in their home, in my office, in their club, or on their wall. If they have any ideas or concerns about Bermuda's youth, they should bring them to my attention.

"From knocking on doors, all I heard were complaints that the Government wasn't doing anything for youth," he continued. "Obviously all the programmes we have in place haven't touched all the youth. On that letter will also be the number for the National Training Board and the Bermuda Careers Centre. I'm calling it Youth On Board; at the moment we have a lot on board but there are a number in danger of drowning."

MR. Butler is interested in examining the existing definitions relating to young people. The category of "Youth" currently extends to all those under the age of 25. Mr. Butler asks: "Who's out there with those machetes? We say youth, but it probably isn't; it's young adults. Maybe we need to examine whether we have a young adult problem in Bermuda, and which Ministry is going to be responsible for coming up with creative solutions."

Mr. Butler looks forward to receiving some direction from his colleagues in order to make improvements in regards to Bermuda's youth and young adults.

"At the moment all I have are questions," he admitted. "We say we have a black male problem. Which ministries will tackle it? Every time you open up a newspaper, you see all girls getting scholarships or promotions. Where are the young black males? I haven't said this, but other people in the community have said it, and we can see it. Where is the data on that?"

Although Mr. Butler was not a member of the previous PLP Cabinet, he hopes that the new Cabinet can address the needs expressed "on the doorstep", keeping the public informed of any difficulties encountered.

"If we cannot do things immediately, we'll announce the time frame, or why we cannot do it," he promised.

"For example, some people said we should have a Disney-type theme park here. Well, that's great, but when you cost it out, who's going to pay for it? The insurance alone on something like that would be astronomical," he explained.

"Rather than dismiss their ideas, hopefully we'll bring them in the room and discuss it with them and let them see why, given the need for housing, help for seniors, scholarships for students in the performing arts, why that is not quite a priority."

Indeed, with such a wide jurisdiction, Mr. Butler understands the need to prioritise. He considers cultural awareness an enduring problem in Bermuda, citing a recent survey as an example.

"I was personally shocked when the media went onto the streets and asked Bermudians various cultural questions, like 'What is May 24 all about?' and nobody could tell you it was Bermuda Day, Marathon Day, the Heritage Day Parade, and a major bike race," Mr. Butler admitted.

"They didn't have a clue where it got started. I felt embarrassed, having written about 48 books on local culture. This highlights an initiative we're considering. I can't say what it is until I get the funding in place, but we're considering making an improvement as far as informing Bermudians more of their culture."

Mr. Butler will meet with Education Minister Paula Cox to ascertain the best way to produce either an inclusive history or a Portuguese history of Bermuda.

"I personally believe there is room for an120-odd page book that highlights the Portuguese history. I don't want to end up with a set of Encyclopedias, which people won't read," he said.

At present, finding adequate financing and writers willing to put together a comprehensive history has proved unsuccessful.

Financing projects will be without doubt a persistent problem for Mr. Butler, who has already been approached by countless organisations, from sports teams to the Bermuda libraries, asking for permanent purpose-built facilities.

"There's only so much money the country has, and we need to examine it," Mr. Butler said. "I know a mention has been made in the past of a lottery. The Government doesn't have a stand on that, but the community has talked about it.

"I don't know if we would ever pursue it, but it remains to be seen what the Government will do.

"There has been no decision or thought given to it, but I will listen very carefully to what the public are suggesting," he continued. "If not, we have to find some creative ways to finance projects, or we'll just bear the brunt of it from taxation."

Mr. Butler looks forward to the dual challenges of his ministry and Cabinet posts, and promises to remain open to community suggestion.

"I'm hoping to have all this under my belt by the end of September," he explained. "Then, I can start planning for the long term. I will endeavour to the best of my ability to keep the public informed, and will continue to be accessible to the media and Bermudians as a whole."