"We need to revalue how we value people," Senator Thaao Dill was quoted as stating at a recent Peace Rally, and the Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation is providing an opportunity to do just that.

The current exhibition of works on display from September 3 to 11 is a showcase of what young Bermudians are capable of creating and, in fact have created, in a series of summer art workshops held at Kaleidoscope's Parson's Road premises. And adults are being encouraged to show just how much they appreciate the young people's creative efforts by taking time to view the work on display.

"The look on a child's face, and what (such an exhibition) does for a child's self-worth is pretty impressive," stated Foundation director Fiona Rodrigues-Roberts.

She went on to explain just how important are the summer camps put on by the Foundation in the development of healthy, well-rounded young people, such as the Contemporary Art Camp run in conjunction with the Bermuda National Gallery.

"They don't get enough art in school," she explained, "as in many cases art is scheduled only once a week, and some schools share an art teacher or may not have a dedicated art teacher at all."

There is generally a lack of support for specialist teaching in local schools, Mrs. Rodrigues- Roberts noted. The size of the class, too, can mean that the teacher does not have the time to give a child the individual attention he or she needs.

Art is important for the development of all children, but especially those who may have social or personal difficulties.

"Art allows kids to work through emotions that they don't have words for, but can express in colour and image," Mrs. Rodrigues-Roberts noted.

Other students may have raw talent which will never be developed fully through a single weekly art class.

This year a pilot project combining the resources of the Foundation and the Bermuda National Gallery resulted in a vibrant collection of youthful works. BNG education director Lisa Howie noted that the Gallery doesn't have the ideal studio space for sizeable, often messy, camp activities, so co-ordinating a workshop with the Foundation allowed young people to explore art in an expressive, hands-on way.

The carefully created curriculum allowed for an in-depth study of a few contemporary artists, including internationally acclaimed Christo and Jeanne-Claude and local talent Will Collieson, and an opportunity to respond with their own art pieces.

"Having studied the art, and the artist, and learned the lexicon of such contemporary art," Ms Howie explained, "the children were able to apply what they learned."

Linking such an art camp with particular Biennial artists helps young people to participate in a historical moment, she added.

By hiring trainee staff instead of relying on volunteers, Kaleidoscope is also training future artists and art teachers, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of the visual arts in Bermuda.

This pilot project, successful in providing creative opportunities for Bermuda's young people, is in danger, however, due to lack of adequate funding. The workshop fees that must be charged don't fit some parents' budgets, but the cost of employing adequate numbers of staff and purchasing art supplies is a significant issue.

Members of the public are being offered the opportunity to do something constructive for Bermuda's young people by paying for scholarships, or adopting a budget item such as transportation costs, computer and Internet access fees or art supplies.

The exhibition will close with a celebration of the young artists in the Elliott Gallery on September 11 from 5 to 6.30pm. Members of the public are urged to show just how much they value our young people by visiting the gallery during opening hours Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm and by appointment by calling 236-5963.