risks of the disease.

The Allan Vincent Smith Foundation introduced a Peer Education programme aimed at increasing awareness of the dangers of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.

Foundation president Joe Gibbons said the programmes hoped to reduce the transmission of HIV among young people and to have Peer Educators in every Middle and Senior School in the Island.

"To accomplish this, the Foundation will recruit and train a number of young Bermudians between the ages of 13 and 18 as HIV/AIDS educators,'' Mr. Gibbons said. "This core group will then act as ambassadors within both the educational system and community based youth groups in Bermuda.'' He added that with the help of Bermudian born, Canadian educated Tony Caines, phase one of the project will begin this summer.

Mr. Caines, a founding member of the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, said the first phase of the programme involved identifying appropriate curriculum and recruiting and training young educators.

"Once this is has been successfully achieved, we can then expect Peer Education to work within the community,'' he added.