gain and selfishness, Bermuda's AIDS support group is seeing younger volunteers walk through its door.

And STAR director Mrs. Carolyn Armstrong told The Royal Gazette the group is thrilled.

Mrs. Armstrong said about two years ago a couple of young people in their late teens just walked into STAR's office on Angle Street and said they wanted "something to do''.

She said shortly after a meeting with them on STAR's policy of confidentiality and other things every volunteer should know, they were put to work.

And, she said, they have not looked back.

In fact, STAR now has volunteers from all walks of life, ranging in ages from 18 to 65 years.

"We have several young people (two teenagers in their late teens and four in their 20s),'' Mrs. Armstrong noted, adding that some are college students while others are part of the work force.

About 80 percent of the young people come from religious backgrounds.

Mrs. Armstrong said while one was probably motivated by a death of a loved one due to AIDS, most of the young people have become care givers "because they wanted to give to the community''.

She noted that one young man said he just wanted to "lend muscle'' by helping out with STAR's physical chores.

"Whenever we need them they're there,'' Mrs. Armstrong said. "It's encouraging that these young people are gung ho. There's never any opposition from them. Their eagerness and resilience is very encouraging. They are young.

Their minds are young and they learn so much. The more they learn, the more they can give.'' She said by working with HIV-infected people or people with AIDS (PWAs) some are reminded about the preciousness of life.

"We look at them working with us as a deterrent from inappropriate behaviour,'' Mrs. Armstrong said, adding that education about AIDS has also dispelled many fears.

"A lot of times we look at our young people as carefree,'' she said. "But these kids have a focus. They work as volunteer care givers. Some of them work directly with PWAs.'' Care givers' duties can range from doing the PWA's shopping and laundry to just going out with them.

And Mrs. Armstrong said so far the young people have had no problem with confidentiality, a top priority with STAR.

"At the first meeting I tell them STAR's first priority is confidentiality,'' she said, adding that those interested in volunteering are then asked to go away and consider this before accepting the care giver position.

STAR currently has three young people assigned to PWAs and Mrs. Armstrong said things were working out well.

"PWAs and those infected with HIV are overwhelmed with what they (the youngsters) want to give,'' she said.

Mrs. Armstrong said one young lady had worked with three PWAs right up to their deaths.

She said with bereavement counselling and support from the deceased's family and STAR, the young people were able to bounce back.

The STAR director also checks up on the relationship between care givers and PWAs to ensure that there are no problems, such as conflict of personality.

She believed that in most cases the care giver and PWA get along well and the PWA's family often maintain a close relationship with the care giver after the PWA passes on.

"We've had PWAs who say when they look at these young people they see a change in society for the better, yet society says they are worse (than young people of past generations).'' Mrs. Armstrong said the young care givers do not look for praise, nor do they "blow their horn'' about what they are doing.

"They are very humble,'' she said. "I'm just glad they're doing this while they are young. If they did not get the opportunity while they were young, they might get too busy later on.'' Mrs. Armstrong said one young man said he did not believe he could directly work with PWAs because he did not feel he was compassionate enough.

But, she stressed, "interacting with patients directly does not necessarily tell where their hearts are. Just coming to work with STAR says a lot to me.

"We felt that their dealing with PWAs can help other young people, who even though they are sexually active, have difficulty coming to terms with this issue. The ones who still believe it cannot happen to them.'' Mrs. Armstrong said with more young care givers, STAR will also have more young people on its education committee which upon request visits schools and addresses community groups.

But she quickly added that STAR could not do without any of its volunteers and it is always looking for more.

"We appreciate the older folk as well,'' she said. "There is a stick-to-itiveness and a compassion about them that is so deep.''