"In the past 20-30 years we have not done the best job of teaching the fundamentals of good character to our children. We have far too many young people growing up in Bermuda who are increasingly self-indulgent, violent and irresponsible, and who are willing to do whatever it takes to get by.'' So says Director, Mr. Frederick Hassell, by way of explaining the establishment of a Character Builders Programme (CBP), which he plans to take into all of Bermuda's schools, as well as Parent-Teacher Association meetings.

"Character Builders comprises a group of older gentlemen drawn from seniors' clubs who are sharing their life experiences and heroism as war veterans, skilled craftsmen, family men and good citizens with middle and senior school students,'' Mr. Hassell explains.

"Volunteers recruited for this programme have become of good character, and aim to lead young people back to ethical principles,'' he continues. "Through involvement with the young, they hope to transmit the traditional, timeless ethical values which they learned as children: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship.'' Rev. Hassell was inspired to start the local CBP following a visit to the Josephson Institute of Ethics in California, where Character Education Week is celebrated each October.

"I thought I would like to emulate that in Bermuda in some way,'' says Mr.

Hassell, who trained at the Institute as Character Counts Organisation facilitator. "It would be not so much about rules but the concept of character: respecting and understanding one another; about people who are wise, truthful and good citizens.'' Thus it is that Second World War veteran, 91-year-old John DeShield, retired Salvation Army Officer, Major Albert Benjamin, weight lifter and sportsman Dennis Wainwright, sportsman/cricketer Norris Leroy Dowling, Winston Minors and Eardley Ebbin have been joining Mr. Hassell in presenting the newly-developed CBP in local schools.

Each presentation programme begins with an introduction by Mr. Hassell, following which the senior gentlemen who share the stage with him are given five minutes to address the students on who they are, what they stand for, and also dispense some friendly advice.

Speaking movingly of the horrors and hardships of war, and of his answered prayers that God would bring him safely through active service and home to his family, Mr. DeShield advises his young audience to put God first in their lives.

"God answers prayer,'' he assures, "so wherever you go, put Him first and all other things will be added to you''.

The nonagenarian also tells the youngsters not to disobey but listen to their teachers, and give them "the honour and glory of what they are going to teach you''.

"In the days ahead you are going to need every bit of it,'' he warns.

In his address, well-known sportsman Mr. Dennis Wainwright tells his young audience that, despite coming from a poor home and having nothing but an elementary school education, God had blessed him with common sense.

"I wasn't an exceptionally good student, but I developed into a very good athlete,'' he says. "My parents couldn't afford to send me to Berkeley Institute, so I had to go to work at a young age to help support my family.'' From these humble beginnings, Mr. Wainwright went on to make his mark as a leading sportsman who had played in Cup Match for 20 years, was a footballer for 40 years, and also excelled in tennis and golf.

A founding member of the Bermuda Bodybuilders Federation, Mr. Wainwright is today a Class 1 football referee, among other honours.

"In order to develop, we must endure,'' the father of three advises. "I have served my time in all the things I enjoyed, and I am also a born-again Christian.

"You can be whatever you want to be, but the main thing is to give it your all -- 110 percent.'' For his part, Major Benjamin explains that, for 66 years, he has been serving Bermuda and other parts of the world in 19 different capacities. He says that he, too, came from humble beginnings, walking to school barefoot, cleaning his teeth with sage brush leaves, and saving old newspapers for toilet tissue.

The Major also details his recent experiences working at a Salvation Army-run Blind School in Jamaica, where the students are trained from childhood to be useful citizens.

"It is just marvellous,'' he recounts. "The kids are well-behaved and disciplined -- better than the Bermudian children -- and they call themselves miracles. You, too, can make it with God's help.'' Mr. Dowling details highlights of his career, which include being a former sports reporter at The Royal Gazette , and describes himself as a writer and poet. One of eight children, the former Central School student tells how his early life had been one of hard work and discipline.

"Before I went to school I had to do errands, and then be at school on time.

My parents believed in punctuality,'' he says. "Time was time. On Saturdays, I sold the Mid-Ocean News and Bermuda Recorder after I had done all my chores at home. My parents made me understand that I could only play outside when my chores were done.

"I also used to go around the neighbourhood selling vegetables from our garden, where I had to do the weeding, and also look after the chickens. I often think of the children hanging around Hamilton today.'' Mr. Dowling was also a first class Sea Scout -- an experience he thoroughly recommended, not only for character-building, but also because, like similar programmes, it prepared youngsters for leaving home and living abroad at college.

Interspersed with these testimonies, CBP includes a universal reading of the Lord's Prayer, and invites the students to step forward and verbally "honour'' each speaker for whatever virtues he or she deems appropriate. A list of suggested virtues is displayed on stage as an aide memoire for the students.

Trendy music, led by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody'' and ending with "A Whole New World'' from the movie Aladdin, sung by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, strikes a resonant chord with the youngsters.

In his address, Mr. Hassell recounts how he left Bermuda in 1973 to work on a kibbutz just six miles from the Lebanese border, and then goes on to trace the trends of popular social thinking, whereby old values were devalued.

"We have seen the gates of fairness and honesty broken down, and we adopted an attitude that we would not be judgmental,'' he says. "Now, after 30 years we are coming full circle and saying, `Things are not right'.'' "Now,'' he says, "we are trying to develop and become people of character, and part of that is being trustworthy, fair, responsible and respectful.'' Mr. Hassell then poses a thought-provoking question: What do you say to a lady who brings you a freshly-baked gingerbread, which is something you truly dislike? "Take it and be thankful,'' one student offers.

"Give it to somebody else,'' another suggests.

"Give it to someone who is hungry, or less fortunate,'' says a third.

Mr. Hassell pauses.

"What makes you think that the woman cannot handle the truth?'' he asks.

"You can be assertive and gentle at the same time.'' The lesson is graphic, and the CBP proves effective.

"I think it was an inspiration to everyone in the school and to the teachers,'' 15-year-old CedarBridge Academy student, Carla Andrade, says.

"You can make it through a lot of changes.'' Her peers, Whitney Burgess and Rayneika Crofton, both aged 14, also agree that the CBP message is "inspirational''.

"It tells you that you can make it even though it may be hard in the beginning.'' Fifteen-year-old Razelle Smith, also of CedarBridge, says the message is "encouraging'', and she feels it will inspire people to become character builders themselves.

"I think more people should encourage others to join in the programme, and to be trustworthy and respectful to each other, and mentor other people to do good,'' she says.

Fellow student Teo Burgess (15) considers the programme to be "very well presented, because they are talking about the poor, and if you are poor CBP is good''.

"Some people think that if you are poor, the best way forward is to steal, but I don't think that's right,'' he asserts. "If you are poor, and you want money, you can at least find someone with whom you can study, and probably they can get you a job, or help you in some way.

"It's like people who go to church and say they can't stop smoking. There is no such thing as `can't'. You can stop anything you want.'' The responses are heartening to Mr. Hassell, who knows that teenagers can be tough to reach, but he says it is the harder-to-reach that are the most important to go after.

"We are challenged to work in the trenches with people who may even be hostile to our message,'' he says. "Ethics is character, and what we are teaching is basic ethical principles, so that the young people can take these principles and make ethical decisions from them. Our challenge is to get them to accept our message.'' For further information on the Character Builders Programme, contact Mr.

Hassell at 295-9094.

Men of virtue: Character builders (from left) Winston Minors, Dennis Wainwright, Eardley Ebbin, John DeShield (seated), and Leroy Dowling display a list of virtues which is used to inspire young people in their school audiences. The men are active participants in the Character Builders Programme.

Quality time: Director of the Character Builders Programme, Mr. Fred Hassell, teaches the importance of ethics and character education, using this list of virtues as a guide. His goal is to take the programme into all of Bermuda's schools and to pass on the experiences of one generation to the next.