A woman whose daughter used to date a former gang member is willing to act as a voice for the youth of Bermuda.

She is encouraging other parents to support young people rather than criticise them and to do their part in building opportunities for young black males.

The woman, who describes herself as a working class Bermudian, grew up in Somerset. She gave an impassioned plea during an open panel discussion on youth violence two weeks ago, when she called on white Bermudians to play their part in addressing the issue of youth violence. She told the audience the former gang member her daughter used to date served time in prison, and she would support him in whatever way she could. Her words were: ?I would like to say to all the naive white people who are sitting at home to get off their couches and do something.?

On Monday she told that she singled out white people because there were none at the public meeting. She believes everyone in the community needs to play their part in addressing social issues. Last night she attended the ?Unity in the Community? meeting at the Sandys Middle School in the hope that Bermudians of all backgrounds would turn out. Although she would not use her name, she said she was willing to meet and talk with anyone in the community about the issue at last night?s forum. One of her suggestions for preventing violence was to set up a non-violence charity which would provide scholarships to help young men in furthering their education. Parish youth clubs, a technical institute catering specifically to young men and informal talks with the guys on the streets to find solutions were some of the ideas she hoped to discuss.

Since the forum she has been regularly visiting ?42nd Street? or St. Monica?s Road area to talk to her daughter?s ex-boyfriend and to find out some of the reasons behind territorial warfare, and what can be done to put an end to it all.

?I talked to them, I told them that I was prepared to be a voice for them, I told them to think about the solutions that were out there, so the public can make a truce with them, all of the crews and gangs, that we don?t need to worry about another incident like that (Wellington Oval) happening again,? she said.

?We all need to be united as Bermudians if we are to find solutions for our social problems,? she said. ?We shouldn?t be afraid to talk about it, these are people we are talking about with hearts and feelings. We need to take questions to them which are non-threatening. If each person would build a relationship with one individual out there, have them over for dinner, or just talk to them, then it would help.?

Last night?s meeting was a continuation of the series of public talks organised by concerned members of the community who want to solve the problem.

A panel of speakers talked about the proposed Commission of Inquiry, the role of the family, and a former drug user was expected to give his insights.

The woman said one of the more noticeable issues which bred anger and discontentment among young men was literacy. Partly to blame was that children who needed help were pushed through the system instead of being made to repeat a year or get tutoring. She used to participate in a reading training scheme at CedarBridge where she tutored a 16 year old.

?After six months of us working together his self-esteem and confidence was there, he needed some extra help.?

She spoke about the young man her daughter used to date as a person she would do anything for, regardless of the mistakes he had made. She hoped it was an attitude the wider community could adopt.

?I think the first thing that people can do to help, white people and black people, is to attend meetings, you don?t have to be on the front line. There is a lot you can do with fund-raising, volunteer work, while leaving the politics and religion out of it,? she said.