Education Minister Paula Cox was deluged with information on a variety of topics important to local young women when she hosted a tea for finalists in the recent Miss Teen Bermuda Islands pageant.

Ms Cox heard about the lack of programmes for children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, the importance of equality for homosexuals, problems of absentee parenting, teen marijuana use and several other topics the young ladies had presented during the contest.

Seventeen-year-old Sah-Shay Johnstone, won the title on November 16 in a ceremony held at City Hall Theatre.

Unable to attend that function Ms Cox held the tea party to meet and congratulate the young ladies.

A new feature in the Miss Teen Bermuda Island?s 2003 Pageant was a segment in which pageant finalists were required to present platforms on an issue relevant to young people in Bermuda.

Miss Teen Bermuda Islands 2003, Sah-Shay Johnstone, First Runner-Up and Miss Congeniality, Ashley-Anne Hawksworth, 17, and Second Runner-Up, Alaina Nelson, 16, all attend CedarBridge Academy where Sah-Shay is also the Head Girl.

Ms Cox invited the young ladies to share some of the salient points of their platforms.

Miss Paget, Sah-Shay Johnstone?s platform was on Drug Prevention. Miss Sandy?s South, Ashley-Anne Hawksworth?s platform was ?How Mentoring Can Have a Positive Role on a Child?s Life?. Miss St. George?s Alaina Nelson?s chose the topic ?The Dangers of Dropping out of High School?.

Bermuda High School I.B. student, Miss Southampton Cratonia Smith, 16, who was a finalist, presented a platform entitled ?Dyslexia and the Lack of Resources in Bermuda for Children With Learning Disabilities?.

Berkeley Institute student Miss Sandy?s North Tiffani Simons, 17, also a finalist, presented a platform on Absentee Parents.

Ms Cox also heard some of the other platforms from:

CedarBridge Academy student, Miss Warwick, Alien Guilas, 15, on ?Equality with Homosexuals?; CedarBridge Academy student, Miss Pembroke, and Miss Photogenic, Tiara Simmons, 14, on ?Teen Sex and Pregnancy?; Bermuda Institute student, Miss Smith?s, Tiffany-Latoya Smith, 16, on ?Leadership: Being Unique and Sandys Secondary Middle School student, Miss Sandys West, Karen Johnson, 13, on ?Marijuana Use by Teenagers?.

Ms Cox said she was very impressed with the presentations.

?By pursuing those standards and by continually raising the bar on your expectations, you will be a success in life,? she said.

?You are young women of poise, of purpose and of pulchritude,? the Minster added. ?Pulchritude means that you exude beauty without and within.?