oncoming crisis.

Cornell Fubler issued the warning at the Hamilton Rotary Club yesterday when he spoke on "The Plight of the Young''.

"The plight of the young could be called the plight of the country,'' he told the Rotary.

Mr. Fubler runs YouthNet, a group for the young which has set up a mentoring system for school children.

Yesterday he threw down a challenge to people in Bermuda to help combat problems facing the Island's young people.

He also appealed for more volunteers to become mentors and urged parents to spend more quality time with their children when they were young to help steer them towards success.

"Every Hallowe'en buses shut down and our students are sent home early because the Country is afraid of certain hooligans.

"We are now reaping as a Country what we have sown years ago and it will take a concerted effort by the entire community to stem the oncoming crisis,'' he said. "There are a lot of frustrated young people out there and if we do not get a handle on the rising pulse of frustration woe are us.'' Mr. Fubler painted a bleak picture of the social ills facing some young people, saying some raised themselves as both parents worked -- leading to a vicious cycle as they made mistakes trying to raise themselves.

"Some get in trouble at school, some get involved in drugs, some get pregnant. While they are yet dealing with all these social issues along comes peer pressure which causes them to engage in all sorts of menacing behaviour.

With such bleak fortunes and lack of direction many of our youth have no hope.

"The consequences of no hope and no direction have the potential to bring this country to a grinding halt,'' said Mr. Fubler.

He said YouthNet was formed in June last year by five people and was now concentrating on a mentoring system pairing students in school with a positive caring adult from the community.

The mentors meet the child once a week for an hour during school time to offer support, guidance and friendship with the ultimate goal of keeping the student academically on track.

A pilot programme earlier this year proved successful with 80 percent of students saying they wanted to continue with their mentors.

To find out more details on YouthNet or to volunteer, people can call 295-7308.