Community outreach groups joined forces with a Hamilton church to educate parents on how to prevent their children from being lured into gang activity.

Raleigh Bermuda, a youth charity, partnered with Youth Education Safety, or Yes, to hold a discussion about gang grooming prevention.

Teledo Breary, the founder of Yes, said the forum was the first of its kind and hailed it a success.

He added: “I’m a citizen of this country and I just want to share the research and try to just educate people as much as I can.

“The idea is that, if you know what to look out for, then you will probably know the pitfalls of antisocial behaviour better.”

Raleigh Bermuda and Yes held the talk at the Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday before an audience of more than 100 people.

Mr Breary, who has a background in law enforcement, told the crowd that gang members targeted children as young as eight by manipulating and, later, exploiting them.

He explained that children were often used to hide or distribute criminal goods, but as they got older could be recruited for theft, vandalism, drug production or violent offences.

Mr Breary, who said that his experiences were drawn from Bermuda and Britain, advised parents to communicate openly with their children and educate them about the dangers and grooming tactics of gangs.

He also urged them to monitor their children’s activities, become involved in their education and pastimes, and to create a positive home life by building up their self-esteem and leading by example.

Mr Breary said children could get involved with and continue gang activity by being caught in a “trap” of isolation.

He explained that many cases he saw involved children associating with someone from their neighbourhood at school and being targeted over it.

These “beefs” between pupils could escalate into fights, which would lead to suspension and eventually result in them falling behind academically and feeling a sense of disappointment from their family.

Mr Breary said frustration from falling behind at school and feeling targeted could result in truancy.

He added that, because a child may feel they cannot turn to their parents, they could be welcomed in by gang members.

Mr Breary said that members often groomed children by striking friendships with them and, for those with unstable home lives, inviting them to parties or their homes.

He said that these members sometimes offered children protection and a sense of community, or promises of status and power.

He said that gangs often enticed children with money, expensive gifts, free meals or even drugs, all of which they might later ask the children to “pay off” by helping with various activities.

Mr Breary said that, while these favours may start off small, they could spiral into much more dangerous activities.

He added that, because of their involvement with gang activity, young people could butt heads with the law and rival gangs and eventually feel trapped.

Mr Breary suggested that warning signs of gang members could include flashy material wealth despite a lack of employment; proximity to illegal or violent activity; or frequently being in trouble with the law.

He insisted that all children could be targeted, but that the most susceptible were from less wealthy families and often unaccounted for.

Girls were sometimes targeted for gang grooming, he said, because they tended to be unassuming and did not fit the stereotype of a gang member.

The speaker added that, because of this, they could be used for thefts, trafficking criminal goods or as a “lure” to recruit, coerce or entrap others.

Truancy and a lack of educational tools or extracurricular activities were big risk factors for children, Mr Breary said.

He added that children who were around substance abuse, domestic abuse or criminal activity were also likely to be targeted.

He told parents to look out for changes in their children’s behaviour, academic and extracurricular performance or friend groups.

Mr Breary also warned against unexplained possessions or injuries, as well as antisocial or rebellious behaviour and an interest or affiliation with gang culture.

Kaywell Outerbridge, a member of Raleigh Bermuda, was happy to see the event take place.

She said her late son, Malcolm, who was stabbed to death at 18, worked hard with Raleigh Bermuda to help young people turn away from gang activity.

Ms Outerbridge added that the latest initiative was an extension of his memory.

DeJaun Tull, the pastor of Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church, said that events like the one held on Saturday were important to keep young people safe.

He added: “Sometimes people are caught up in situations that they are unaware of or that their parents are unaware of, so this is an opportunity for a community event.

“We are a small community, so all of us are impacted by what takes place here on this island.”

The pastor said: "Some of the answers that I believe we have are spiritual answers, but we've got to be practical — there are some things in our community that we need more than prayer. And so, these types of events — education, instructions and even hearing someone's life story — can help someone who may be going through the same circumstances, or prevent someone walking into the same traps."

The presentation will be delivered again on Thursday at 7pm at the St Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church on Dundonald Street.

• For more information, visitwww.youtheducationandsafety.com