Are you ready to succeed in an increasingly competitive job market in a shrinking economy? Do you have the experience to be an effective member of a management team?

Do you have all the life skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century? If your answer to any of these questions isn't a resounding "yes", then the Counsellors in Training programme may be for you.

All 14- and 15-year-olds currently residing in Bermuda are eligible to join the free programme, which begins in February. Once a teen has completed an application form (available from the Department of Youth, Sport, & Recreation's Community Centres in St. George's, Hamilton and Somerset), he or she will be interviewed as part of the selection process. A total of 18 of the best and the brightest will be chosen from the applicants, and the process of grooming them to be the next generation of leaders will have begun.

A carefully designed programme has been laid out which requires between one and one-and-a-half hours a fortnight after school, excluding school holidays, over a period of two years. During those two years, working at their own pace, the young people will learn how to be effective leaders and positive role models, how to set goals, solve problems, make decisions and take advantage of all the opportunities 21st century Bermudian life has to offer.

Working with a small group of five peers at one of the three community centres, the young person will have opportunities to go on field trips, volunteer in the community, learn first aid and CPR, and even undergo a week of training at an overnight camp. They will form strong and lasting friendships in the process.

On completion of the programme, the young person will be eligible for work placement within any organisation, including the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation's summer and special programmes.

For more information contact any of the three Community Centres, or the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation in person at the Perry Building, 40 Church Street or by telephone 295-0855