There is a problem in the young black male community that needs to addressed, according to people The Royal Gazette spoke with yesterday.

Earlier this week Premier Ewart Brown announced a $400,000 study into why young black males are not succeeding when compared to their contemporaries.

The project, entitled A Study of Employment, Earnings and Educational Attainment Gaps Between Young Black and White Men in Bermuda, is being headed by Professor Ronald Mincy from Columbia University's School of Social Work.

Yesterday The Royal Gazette asked members of the public if they thought the study was needed and their views on why some young black men are not succeeding. Everyone agreed the study was a good idea.

Gladwin Johnson, 37, said there was a lot of frustration and envy among young black men.

"I think they feel like they are getting an unequal share, that they are being short changed," he said. "Drugs are a big part of the problem. They see that they can make a lot of money off of drugs, more than they could doing other things.

"I think it's a great idea to do this study because something should be done about the situation.

"I think a lot of them need more structure and a path, maybe they should drop the Bermuda Regiment age from 18 to 16 and make it mandatory.

"Because right now they get a bike at 16 and that's it, they're gone. There is no control over them. But if they were in the Regiment it could give them some options and ideas about what to do."

Meanwhile 16-year-old Joshua said: "The study might work, it might not. But I guess what have they got to lose?

"I think a lot of us get stuck and just don't know what to do."

His friend, 17-year-old student Mikkail, said a lot of them felt they had no opportunities or real future.

He said :"What's the point in staying in school? As a young black guy if I finish school I still don't have anywhere to go other than to sit on the wall. The study is a good idea."

And 24-year-old Omar said many young black men felt there were road blocks preventing them from succeeding.

"We hear that the education system is a mess," he said. "And we're expected to go on to Bermuda College, why bother?

"And there is all this money in Bermuda but we aren't getting it. So we go to construction sites but there wasn't any technical training at schools so we didn't do it.

"And you see people from away with the training being paid twice what you are. It's just real frustrating and it doesn't look like it's changing."

Mr. W, 61, echoed Omar's comments and said more technical education was needed in the public schools.

"I think it's a great idea to do a study, they need to figure it out," he said. "Young men need to stay in school, I don't know what the problem is, if it is the school or the family?

"We need to find a way to engage them, and we need more technical options in the schools. I read that there will be 3,000 more jobs in the next three years and a lot of them will be for construction. We need to engage the young men and show them how to get involved. "

And 36-year-old Mistry said she was troubled to see young black men not succeeding while young black woman were doing well in Bermuda.

"I guess it's because we are survivors," she said. "But something needs to be done, there is a lack of young black men getting the education that is available to them.

"They don't have many role models on this Island, and the people they are holding as role models are not going down the right path.

"They seem to have this glorified outlook on life that they can get money without getting an education, but they need to realise that they need to go down traditional paths."

Meanwhile lawyer Charles Richardson, who famously rehabilitated himself after being jailed for a nightclub shooting, said he hoped this study would actually be completed.

Mr. Richardson participated in the last study, commissioned by former Premier Alex Scott in 2005, and said he was disappointed it was never published.

Earlier in the week Dr. Brown said the study was not completed because it was not thorough enough and this one would be more comprehensive.

"If this one is going to be completed then I think it's a good idea to do it," he said. "There is a problem and this study is long overdue.