Leaders in Bermuda's business community have been urged to do their part to help the Island's youth live their lives to the fullest in the rapidly changing global environment.

The message came from retired United States Army General Colin Powell during a private luncheon attended by local business people yesterday.

Following the end of the Cold War, which saw the removal of physical boundaries, said Gen. Powell, the advent of new technologies, most notably the Internet, had seen the removal of information boundaries between countries.

Business had become increasingly global through these changes and successful companies had adapted to meet the new requirements placed upon them, he noted.

During this period of change, it was important that the world's youth were not lost in the rush, he stressed. They required education and opportunities more than ever, he said.

Since his retirement from military life, Gen. Powell has become very active in community life and has recognised the need to help the youth in America.

America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth, an organisation he now chairs, grew out of the President's Summit for America's Future in 1997.

It is dedicated to the mission of fulfilling five promises to children and youth which are to provide them with: Caring adults in their lives who fill the roles of parents, mentors, tutors and coaches; Safe places with structured activities during non-school hours; A healthy start and future; Marketable skills through effective education, and; The opportunity to give back through community service.

These were the keys to providing America's youth with successful futures, said Gen. Powell, and could be applied to youth anywhere as the problems facing children were universal.

What was key to helping the youth was having adults who had achieved success mentor them. These mentors had an obligation to not sit on their success and, instead, had to share their time and talent with young people to help them follow in their footsteps.

Gen. Powell was born in New York City in 1937 and was raised in the South Bronx by his parents who were Jamaican immigrants. He has often attributed his successes in life to the upbringing he received from them and the network of aunts and uncles in his neighbourhood.

He served in both the Vietnam and Korea Wars and rose to the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the US Department of Defence before retiring from military life.

Along the way he was the overall commander of American forces in the Persian Gulf War and served as National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan.

It was while he filled the latter role during the 1980's that he met then-Premier Sir John Swan during the negotiations for the US-Bermuda Tax Treaty. The pair have developed a strong bond of friendship since that time.

Gen. Powell, who was tipped as a presidential candidate before the 1996 elections, noted that he and Sir John had discussed the pros and cons of political life before he made his decision to steer clear of politics.

Yesterday's luncheon was hosted by Sir John at Fourways Inn in Paget.