A social worker is embarking on a cause for a popular football charity targeting the personal development of young Bermudians.

Lyndon Jackson, the acting director of the counselling and career centre at Bermuda College, also plans to undertake other initiatives to support the island’s youth.

Mr Jackson embarked on an adventure trip up Mount Everest in April to raise funds for the Bermuda Brazilian Football School.

He is hopeful that his journey and its cause will inspire others to meet their challenges head-on.

The football school, a registered charity, is run by popular footballer Dennis Brown. It works with children between 5 and 14 to enhance their physical, emotional and mental growth.

Mr Jackson said that while he was successful in raising funds for the school, he intended to expand support to the charity and other organisations undertaking similar work “in the trenches”.

As part of this challenge, he is planning another trek to the summit of Cotopaxi Volcano in Ecuador.

The educator has spent his career supporting young people’s growth and development.

“As I reflect on the journey, I know what an immense challenge it was to do this sort of trek and a lot of things have occurred along the way that really pushed me to the limit,” he said.

While in the Himalayas, he reflected on the connection between his trek up the mountain and his plan to assist the football charity.

“I decided to think more about why I was doing it and the work I have done over the years, and relationships that I have developed over the years with people like Dennis Brown,” he said.

“I wanted to do something like this, outside of the challenge itself, but connecting that challenge to something a little more meaningful.”

Mr Jackson plans to make a presentation at Bermuda College about his trip and youth-centred initiatives and will use the event to encourage donations for the charity.

He said the football school made valiant efforts to assist youth. Funds raised in April are used to offset costs for participants in its programme.

“Often young people cannot afford to do the camps and do the training — it takes a lot of the family resources,” he said.

“The idea was to get as much as possible into that fund so that it can support these youngsters.”

Before the summer break, Mr Jackson shared his trekking experience with the young footballers to boost their confidence.

He said he tied the challenges he encountered climbing Mount Everest to the team being behind by four goals to nil at half-time.

He explained: “You have to consider what conversations they are having with themselves, what conversations are they having as a team to try to get back on their field with the mindset that you are going to return that four-nil deficit and you can win the game.”

“It’s those conversations we need to have with our young people.”

He said Bermuda’s youth included “many who are doing some impactful work”.

Mr Jackson wants to highlight the importance of connecting with the island’s youth.

“I am doing what I can do but we all need to contribute and find your way to do this,” he said.

“We need to find out what our strengths are. Everybody has their role to play, they need to understand what that role is.”

Looking back on his Everest experience, Mr Jackson said he held an affinity for Nepal, which he first visited in 2015 with Sherrie, his wife.

The couple left Nepal for London one Friday and the following day tragedy struck when a massive earthquake rocked the Himalayan country, killing hundreds.

Mr Jackson said that if their plane had been delayed, they would have still been in Nepal, most likely Kathmandu, where the quake’s epicentre was recorded.

He said he felt drawn to go back as if there were “unfinished business for me and Nepal”.

Mr Jackson plans to continue his work with the island’s youth.

“Everything that has popped in the news now speaks to where our young people are at,” he said.

“I want to help guide them to where they should be.”