Young people are being asked to consider the effects of Bermuda's growing gang problem on the community for an essay and poster competition sponsored by the Human Rights Commission.

The contest — for students aged four to 24 — was launched yesterday with the promise of an all-expenses paid trip to the United Nations in New York for the final winner.

The UN has designated 2009 as the International Year of Reconciliation and HRC chairman Venous Memari said the competition's theme was: "Reconciliation: why forgive and respect?"

"It took us about six weeks to come up with our theme," she said. "The theme was going to be around reconciliation but we had to decide how it would relate to Bermuda and how the children would see the importance of reconciliation in their lives and in Bermuda's history."

Ms Memari added: "The commission felt very strongly that because of the increase in violence, specifically gang violence, we should get the children to think about the concept of reconciliation based on their immediate lives."

She said some of the commissioners were parents and had told how their children felt divisions within their own schools. "Each and every one of us, from an early age, experiences some sort of dispute," she said. "From our research, it seemed that forgiveness was a huge, huge first step towards reconciliation."

Students can submit posters, essays or poems in six age categories: four to six, seven to nine, ten to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17 and 18 to 24. Prizes will be awarded in each category and all winners will be entered into a prize draw to win the trip to the UN.

The lucky winner will be asked to submit a follow-up report or drawing within two weeks of their visit to New York.

Ms Memari said: "When we launched the competition last year, we wanted it to be related to the work of the Human Rights Commission and the United Nations is the international human rights watch guard — to me, that would be the pinnacle of anybody's education."

Submissions should be sent to the HRC, Mechanics Building, Suite 301, 11 Church Street, Hamilton, HM12 by Friday, November 20. The prize giving will take place on Human Rights Day, December 10. For entry details call 295-5859.