Describing The Family Learning Centre's innovative summer programme as "a booster shot'', executive director Martha Dismont explains that "it gives us the luxury of having the children all day, every day, and involving them in a wide range of activities.'' The high-intensive programme, funded jointly through the partnership of The Council Partners Charitable Trust and The National Drug Commission (NDC), enables the Centre to monitor the children, to interact with parents and other family members and to identify problems.

"Our mission is to preserve families,'' Mrs. Dismont emphasises, "and we therefore combine clinical education, therapeutic and `fun' activities to help at-risk children between the ages of five and 12 -- the ages when they are most receptive to change.'' Besides running group activities that assist in such issues as academic tutorials, anger management, and drug and alcohol abuse under the supervision of clinical psychologists, the summer programme also involves community service (animal care at WindReach, `Adopt a Grandparent' at Westmeath Senior Citizens' Residence, and Keep Bermuda Beautiful Clean-Ups).

"These are research-tested strategies for preventing drug and alcohol-related lifestyles,'' says Mrs. Dismont. "Of course, we also take the children to the beach and involve them in art, music and sport -- all of which helps in our aim to increase their self-esteem. We have,'' she adds, "an holistic approach in which we work with the children at home, at school and out in the community. We provide family treatment to stabilise the home environment.'' Noting the Centre employs highly skilled professionals, Mrs. Dismont says the aim of case managers (who work with one family at a time) is to assist families back to healthy lifestyles until they become independent of the Centre's services. We help them develop support networks which will sustain them in that independence.'' The Centre has been working in association with Council Partners for more than two years, an affiliation that was formalised for their two prevention programmes in April. "We have similar aims and goals,'' explains Mrs.

Dismont, "and Council Partners have acknowledged the quality of the prevention strategies we employ. We are also working with Austin Warner on developing accreditation to ensure that high standards are maintained.'' The Family Learning Centre was founded almost by accident shortly after Martha Dismont moved to Bermuda back in 1986. Working as a substitute counsellor in the Government school system and then as a substitute teacher, she realised that some children were `falling through the cracks' in that system: "It turned out to be quite a blessing to work as a substitute as I was able to go into all the schools. It all started,'' she adds with a wry smile, "when I started tutoring a little boy whom I felt could do better in school.

Within two years, I had over 60 children.'' Swiftly realising that tutoring was only one facet of an overall problem, Mrs.

Dismont began to take steps to help with what she calls "the baggage'' that so many children have to carry around.

"We had children who suffered from domestic violence, sexual abuse, divorce, general neglect and family members with drug and alcohol problems. As I talked to the parents I could advise them about which services to approach for help.'' Noting parent involvement is mandatory, Mrs. Dismont says that at least one parent has to agree to work within the project. "Sometimes a parent who has not agreed, comes in, demanding to know what is happening to their child. We ask if they would like to be a part of what we are trying to do and they start to get involved and begin to value the skills we are teaching. It is,'' she concludes, "a simple solution: if you value something highly, you don't want to risk losing it! Our work is about developing skills so that people are not tempted to sell drugs. They develop a sense of self-esteem.'' Mrs. Dismont also has a surprising attitude to the community's young `trouble-makers'. "When a child misbehaves, he may turn out to be the hero, because it's really a cry for help and in the long run, with that cry, the child is doing the whole family a favour.'' Acknowledging she is fortunate in having staff who are good at problem-solving, Mrs. Dismont says it is possible to stabilise a family within six to nine months. "We do not need to work with a family for years!'' Because it is a charity, the Centre attracted high-quality tutoring by professional teachers from the very beginning. "Two years ago, however, we could see that we had to do more than just send people off to various services, so we began more clinical analysis and prevention programmes.'' This upgraded focus is reflected in the fact that two of the staff members -- Leonard Astwood and Robyn Gaade-Montarsolo -- are both clinical psychologists, while activities coordinator Dorran Dowling, with a background in Tai Chi and massage therapy, is implementing an imaginative range of activities that will help the children to maintain positive and happier lifestyles. With about 50 families receiving assistance at any one time, the staff to client ratio is an impressive minimum of one to four.

Mrs. Dismont spent the first six years of her career in human services in New York State where she was a primary case manager for the developmentally disabled, ensuring people released from insitutions into the community received adequate and appropriate assistance services. It proved to be a fertile training ground for her subsequent formation of the Family Learning Centre.

Recently, Martha Dismont was asked to chair Bermuda's Inter-Agency Planning Committee for children and families. The group of 45 private and government agencies seek to identify and improve community care among Bermuda's human service professionals.

FAMILY MATTERS -- The learning Centre's Martha Dismont believes in the holistic approach to family healing