Senators have welcomed several Government initiatives to get youngsters off the starting blocks into more outdoor and sporting activities.

Junior Minister of Sport Senator Wayne Caines presented the plans as he outlined the Department of Youth and Sport's 2008-9 budget to the Senate earlier this week. Proposals include greater investment in camping facilities on the Island; more recreational workshops at Community Centres; and an extension of the After School programme.

Sen. Caines also said Government wanted to cut down on the growing obesity in Bermuda, by promoting healthy eating in schools through "educating the parents as to what constitutes a healthy snack".

He said this year's total expenditure for the Department was $15,194,000. Outlining the estimates in the Senate, Sen. Caines said this included $6,104,000 to cover the wages of 122 civil servants, industrial workers and part-time staff, and $5,179,000 for sports grants - a decrease of $902,000 on the previous year.

"The remainder of the budget provides funding for existing programmes such as Sports Development, Sports Incentives and Awards Programme, Sports Facility Management Programme, Youth Development, Community Centres, Camping, Summer Activities and After School Programmes," said Sen. Caines.

He added an additional amount of $55,000 in the Capital Acquisition budget would be used to purchase portable bleachers.

"The mission of the Department of Youth, Sports and Recreation is to advance amateur sport, recreation and youth development for all - from leisure activity to athletic excellence, and to strengthen the significant contribution that these initiatives make towards the enhancement of the quality of life for the total community," said Sen. Caines.

"The Department of Youth, Sports and Recreation's Youth Policy speaks to building upon a young person's strengths; it speaks to building positive behaviours in young people. These core values are based upon the 40 Developmental Assets."

Sen. Caines said these were qualities identified by the US Search Institute organisation. "The Department of Youth, Sports and Recreation has recognised the extreme value of these assets and has infused them into all aspects of our programming - from the Community Centres to the After School Programme, and within the seasonal Camping Programme.

"Our mission is to educate the public and in particular the parents on the valuable tool that asset building provides."

This year, the Department's three Community Centres in St. George's, Hamilton and Sandys will offer "physical and skill-building activities". A new club - the Young Ambassadors Club, will teach middle and high school students life skills, First Aid/CPR, counsellor training, and how to conduct meetings.

In addition, a Music Programme will offer workshops in music production, song-writing, vocal production, and audio engineering.

In primary schools, Government also plans to extend the After School Programme, which Sen. Caines said was based on the principals of "healthy living and character building".

Activities currently include walking, neighbourhood clean-ups, badminton and chess clubs, and to these will be added a Book Club, the BUEI programme, and Bible Study.

"The physical fitness opportunities will be coupled with an education piece on the importance of stretching and making healthy choices," said Sen. Caines.

National Sports Governing Bodies coaches and players will also help to get youngsters on the sports field in the coming year, as part of the Department's 'Youth Through Sport and Recreation' initiative. The Department will consult with parents, clubs, schools, churches and young people in developing programmes, with sporting stars to act as mentors and coaches.

Camping is also to be extended, with "local and international camping" facilities developed at Darrell's Island, Messina House, Paget Island, Whites Island, and Ports Island.

"We will extend our programmes and extend them to include the clubs, all of the National Sports Governing Bodies (NSGBS) and the schools," said Sen. Caines. "This will be a partnership that will emphasis the importance of academic and athletic excellence.

"We recognise and understand that not all of our youngsters will become professional or elite athletes.However, through a commitment to sport, our young people can develop a sense of athleticism, teamwork and a sense of fair play, all of which can be beneficial to them as citizens of Bermuda."

Opposition Senator Gina Spence-Farmer commended the initiatives, but also called for a National Strategy for Sports.

She said: "You can never provide enough resources for our young people and if it's appealing to them, it's a win-win.

"In the sports arena we have a great opportunity to not only touch the lives of our young people but to greatly enhance the lives of young people, such as through leadership skills and teamwork. A National Strategy for Sports would help in a number of ways. The National Strategy for Sports would help to define and get everyone on a level playing field, and I would like it to enhance some of the group programmes that Government is already supporting and funding.

"Sports is a very powerful medium. It unites communities, it unites people."

Opposition Leader Michael Dunkley added: "I support any initiative by the Government in sporting development.

"To me, sport and recreation is as equally important as education.

"We need to allow our young people to grow and dream. That dreaming, that hope, is all a part of human development which is very important, and the better we develop our young people, the better they will be."

Sen. Caines said: "After School programmes are evolving and are continuing to play a very important role in the development of our young people in Bermuda, and this will develop with our Sports Academies."