Information about Bermuda's culture is now at the fingertips of local teachers following the distribution of a new culture resource guide.

Bermuda's participation with the 2001 Smithsonian Folklife Festival began the process of putting together a culture resource guide that was distributed at the Bank of Bermuda.

'Bermuda Connections: Cultural Resource Guide' was given to teachers to use as a teaching aid by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, who liased with the Smithsonian Institute and numerous other people to create the guide.

"This information that we have preserved within the pages of this guide, will help us to further define and affirm Bermudian culture, not just today, but for our future generations," said the Minister of Community Affairs and Sport, Dale Butler.

"These cultural resource guides will help our teachers to ensure our youth can learn about their rich culture and to value their experience of being Bermudian," he said.

The guide is to serve as a visual and interactive resource for all children in pre-school, middle, senior, public, and private schools.

Acting Education Minister Walter Lister said yesterday: "I have been told that the Middle and Senior Social Studies teachers have been anxiously awaiting the guides and are already planning lessons around the information that will now be available.

"Additionally, training is being arranged for all primary school classroom teachers who will receive the guide in order that system-wide use is encouraged and supported."

The guide will put information about Bermuda's culture and traditions at the teachers' finger tips so hours will not be spent gathering information from various sources, Mr. Lister added.

The guide also shows cross-curricular links that provide for the integration of various subjects around a common theme. This will make it easier for the students to see relevance and make connections to what they are learning in various subjects, said Mr. Lister.

He added that it will help teachers to foster national pride within that generation who will be responsible for the road Bermuda takes in the 21st century.

The guide provides the most current information about Bermuda's culture and history.