A charity wants to "capture the story" of troubled families at a forum next week aimed at getting to the root cause of youth violence, crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Family Centre is looking for parents whose children have had emotional and behavioural challenges to take part in the meeting on Thursday, March 19.

Executive director Martha Dismont said: "This forum will be for parents who have, or have had, children caught up in fights with other young people, who have been murdered, suspended from school, grown up sitting on the wall or simply have had difficulties in life that have made it hard for them as a family."

Mrs. Dismont said the forum idea first surfaced after 18-year-old Kellon Hill was killed last summer. Recent events involving teen violence — including an alleged assault on a 14-year-old Warwick Academy student by a girl of the same age from the Berkeley Institute — spurred Family Centre staff to set a firm date.

Mrs. Dismont said the centre was issuing a "clarion call to parents and children in trouble". The charity boss said parents ought to be held responsible for their children's behaviour — as has been suggested by commentators in recent weeks — but need support themselves.

"I believe parents are willing to take responsibility if they can see a way forward," she said. "A call has gone out to these parents because we need to stop talking at these parents, but talk to them."

Mrs. Dismont added: "The goal is to hear from those parents who we know have had children with emotional, behavioural challenges. Everyone agrees that we must somehow get to solutions.

"Parents of these children and particularly the young people themselves need to know that we are serious about getting to solutions. Young people need to know that violent behaviour is not a solution and will no longer be tolerated.

"However, we need to also demonstrate to them that we are committed to helping them find real solutions that will lead them out of these patterns of destructive behaviours."

She said the idea was to hear directly from parents. "We want to capture their story. Their challenges have not occurred overnight and will not be solved over night; however, in order to help them, we must begin with the compassionate response of hearing their story."

Mrs. Dismont said Bermuda had the resources to tackle crime, youth violence and "all sorts of unacceptable behaviour that has been allowed to run rampant".

But she said those resources needed to be deployed wisely and compassionately. "Services to parents have increased; however, the social problems are increasing just as rapidly."

The first 50 families to call 232-1116 will get to attend the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. forum at the Family Centre on Point Finger Road. If there are more families interested in attending, another forum will be held within three weeks.