Young people can find the drive and discipline to keep off the streets in the Bermuda Cadet Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Gonsalves believes. He said he thrived in a similar programme when he was younger the current commanding officer of the Bermuda Regiment spent four years with the now defunct Junior Leaders Programme.

Lt. Col. Gonsalves said he joined that organisation in 1980 and continued until he went off to college in 1984. Like many other successful people to come out of Junior Leaders, including Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva, the CO learnt about discipline, responsibility and pride.

"The Junior Leaders programme [for] the 14- to 18 year-olds, that kept me off the streets. I was busy, I enjoyed coming to camp, I enjoyed participating in anything military," he said. "The other benefit was the social benefit, you got to meet kids from other backgrounds in Bermuda. Not everyone comes from a dysfunctional background, and not everyone comes from the nice house with the white picket fence, you have a lot more people in between."

The Junior Leaders programme was successful because it provided structure; a starting point for people to develop their lives, he said.

The programme finished more than two decades ago. Lt. Col. Gonsalves said the Cadet Corps offers young people the same thing. In fact, he believes the cadets are a positive solution to some of the social ills the Island is facing, including violence and other anti-social behaviour.

"I think certainly what is going on with the youth of today, as we are reading about a 16-year-old involved in gun violence you can only imagine that it's going to have to start younger than that," he said.

"The activities we are trying to teach and upholding all the attributes, that has got to be a good thing. Yes we have churches out there, we have Boys' Brigade and the Cub Scouts, and maybe that might not appeal to people but there is an option over here.

"Churches don't appeal to everyone let's be frank but there are many other organisations out there that can provide the same kind of character building and the qualities that we want our young people to develop."

The Cadet Corps is a youth organisation designed to introduce people between the ages of 12 and 18, to the military.

It has physical fitness, adventure and community service components and, as Lt. Col. Gonsalves puts it, "something for everybody".

The cadets have launched recruitment campaigns within the Island's schools however membership varies from year to year. Lt. Col. Gonsalves maintains the programme is important, especially for young people without discipline in their homes finding it difficult to develop the trait on their own. He said the cadets challenge young people to see how far they can go mentally, but also give them a chance to play abseiling, learning how to shoot a rifle, and travelling overseas.

"Although our budget has been cut we have identified it starts with the youth. If we can convince the youth the military is not a bad thing, even if they don't join the military afterwards, they would at least have some of the basic skills, the basic knowledge of being in a military unit. I guarantee you some of those will stay on because they like it."

For more information on the Bermuda Cadet Corps call 238-1045.