With four and a half months to go until Bermuda?s tall ship is launched, the Bermuda Sloop Foundation is urging people to assist in the final fundraising efforts.

The organisation needs $1.2 million to finish constructing the tall ship, and to ensure that it meets all structural and safety regulations.

The amount reflects a 20 percent increase in the initial building estimate, however chairman Alan Burland says it illustrated the organisation?s commitment to ensure the ship is of a high quality and exceeds all safety regulations. He also said the improvements will also reduce ongoing maintenance costs.

The will begin its maiden sail on July 15 and will arrive in Bermuda on August 10. Currently the ship is being built in Maine, USA. So far the organisation has raised $4 million to build and operate the ship.

The ship has, so far, been 25 months in the making and will provide Bermudian youths, regardless of economic background, the opportunity to sail. Moreover, the programmes the organisation will run will help build a ?whole kid? and concentrate on character building. The fist youth programme will begin a mere four days after the ship?s arrival.

Mr. Burland said in the organisation?s February chairman?s report that the additional investment would eventually ripple though the entire community and benefit everyone.

?How we prepare our youth and care for our seniors must be one of the long-term measures of success in a healthy community,? he said. ?This is not just a lofty thought. With a steadily ageing population, and significant reduction in proportion of workers to retirees, this is a reality we must face. We must make the best of educating and re-connecting our youth throughout the island.

?Our programmes, based on world class advice, are not just ?nice to have? activities but are vital in developing the ?whole kid? in, and out of, school.

?These ?must have? activities add richly to academic education and include ? character development, building sense of teamwork and community, exposure to technical skills training and the excitement of classroom learning. ?

Already the organisation has planned for 23 groups of youngsters to participate in training programs during the 2006/2007 school year.

Eleven of the groups will participate in five-day expeditions. They will follow a curriculum entitled ?Where are we on the planet??.

The curriculum will look at Bermuda?s geography, geology, oceanography, meteorology, history and culture.

The first group to benefit from the arrival will begin on August 14 and is known as a ?skiller? team. The students in this group are all above the age of 14 and will participate in periodic voyages over four years.

They will enhance their education by adopting a ?major? in one of the ship?s technical areas. They will choose from electronics, engines, culinary arts and mechanical majors. The programmes will correspond with ones currently being offered by the National Training Board.

In 2007, the tall ship will participate in the ASTA Tall ships Challenge along the US East Coast.

Mr. Burland urged members of the public to continue to support the initiative.

?It is a bonus is that our ocean going classroom was seeded by our maritime ancestors almost 200 years ago,? he said. ?We urge you to take action and help us complete the development of this large scale, world class youth project.

?These private/public programmes upon which we are embarking are unique in Bermuda?s modern era. The positive contributions from these programmes will, in time, ripple through our entire community for the benefit of us all.?