A campaign urging Bermudians to stay conviction-free and retain the ability to travel to America is being backed by agencies across the Island.

The US Consulate launched the campaign earlier this month and posted its message across Dunkley’s Dairy milk cartons. Now it is working with Government departments such as Child and Family Services and Youth Development to drive the point home. Mentoring organisation De Boys’ Day Out Club has also got on board. Representatives from the Consulate and the agencies met last week to discuss why it is so important for young people to consider the consequences of their actions.

Consul Margaret Pride said: “It’s an overall reaching out to the youth of Bermuda. The stop list campaign is geared towards everybody but I think it’s especially important to reach out to young people so that they understand that their actions today can have consequences down the road. We are encouraging people to really think about the choices that they want to make .”

For some people with criminal records, entry into the United States will never be an option. US Consul Gregory Slayton lists a series of crimes - from murder and rape to any offence involving guns or drug importation and dealing - which provide a sure-fire way of staying on the stop list for life.

But those who have committed lesser crimes can be granted waivers of ineligibility. Mr. Slayton gives the example of someone caught with a small amount of marijuana 20 years ago. “We make the referral and the Department of Homeland Security makes the final decision,” he says. At the moment, about 75 percent of applications for such waivers are granted, though many are for repeat customers. The consulate’s campaign is aimed at raising awareness of that process too.

All the agencies are agreed that the better option is not to get on the stop list in the first place and staff from the consulate are making their way around the Island’s schools to spread that message.

Ms Pride said most children find it hard to believe that crimes committed decades ago can still ensure that a person is barred from the States. “The look I get on some kids’ faces when I say to them that we have requests from people who committed offences before I was born. They think I’m ancient so they can’t imagine how long ago that was. But the stop list is for life and people don’t understand that.”

Senior probation officer Calvin Ming said many people with convictions assumed that if they were in possession of a rehabilitation certificate it meant they were automatically able to obtain a waiver for travel to the US. “It does not,” he said. “You are still under the cloud.”

Kennette Robinson, acting director of Child and Family Services, said: “The misconception is that you are totally rehabilitated in every jurisdiction. But the certificate of rehabilitation only relates to the jurisdiction you live in. “I think there has been a lot of misinformation out there as it relates to the stop list. We can only hope that this will encourage people to recognise that the choices that they make can impact on their families. What if there is a medical emergency and you can’t get to the States?”

Milton Richardson, founder and executive director of De Boys’ Day Out Club, which mentors males aged ten to 21, said: “It’s about empowering young people to make better choices.

“A lot of times we assume young people are aware of rules or regulations and often it is just an assumption. This campaign is great. It’s coming right out and saying this is what we expect of you and this is what you can do to avoid disappointment in life.

“One of the things that is on the agenda is to have someone from the US Consulate come and talk to them directly on how this can impact their life,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of young people understand the gravity of getting on the stop list.”

He stressed how vital it was for Bermudians to be able to travel - something that non-Islanders perhaps don’t fully appreciate.

Mr. Ming agreed: “For Bermudians, it’s so important. It does something for the psyche of the Bermudians in that if you stay here you become very insular. It’s better for our tourism. If our young people are not really able to discuss and talk with persons from outside of Bermuda we start to lose our edge.”

He said people usually felt a mixture of anger, frustration, embarrassment and amazement when they found out they couldn’t get into the US. “Of course wanting to blame someone else always comes into play,” he said. “They most oftentimes think it was the Bermuda Government that has done this to them. It hasn’t. Blaming someone else is keeping you in that direction.”

Mr. Ming said it was vital for parents to get behind the campaign. “We need to get parents tuned in to this.”

Ms Price said that those with convictions have to apply every time they want to go to America. “It’s also $100 every time and it’s non-refundable.”

The good news is the consulate does refer a large number of Bermudians for a waiver because of the close relationship between the two countries.

“We are willing to make a referral when someone has made a genuine attempt to rehabilitate themselves,” said Ms Pride. “We are willing to look at what the law can allow but people shouldn’t take it as a guarantee that we are going to simply turn a blind eye to offences. “It’s at the discretion of the consulate whether somebody will be referred for a waiver. We will look at a number of factors. How recent the offence was; was violence involved; was there possession or importation of drugs or weapons. We have thugs aplenty in the US - we don’t need to bring in more.

“We do exercise pretty broad discretion but we only have so much influence in the process. It’s ultimately going to be a matter of the law, black and white. It’s decided by people who are impartial.”

She added: “We want people to be able to take advantage of the privilege of travelling to the US and we want young people especially to enjoy the opportunities that it affords in terms of education and business. But there is only so much that we can do to shield people from the consequences of their actions.”

To find out how to apply for a waiver of ineligibility visit http://hamilton.usconsulate.gov.