A pioneering Bradford youth project has been chosen as a leading example in the national battle against drugs and crime.

The Bradford Youth Team - a group of young adults recruited from deprived areas to work with children and teenagers - is one of six named in a new report which says youngsters should become more involved in their local community.

Called 'Taking Part', the local government research argues that children need more of a voice in their community.

But the youth teams, set up in October 1997, offer much more than consultation, according to Chris Bosley who co-ordinates the project.

"The aim is dual purpose," she said. "What we're trying to do is take the 20 to 25-year-olds who have the street cred and know about the local area and train them up in crime and drug prevention and health.

"They then work with young people in their local communities and have quite an impact - they listen to their peers more than parents, adults and teachers."

The trainee youth workers leave the scheme after 18 months of working with council departments, the police and voluntary groups, with the equivalent of a couple of A-levels.

And of the thirteen members of the first youth team, which worked in the inner city, nine have now gained a place at university studying for degrees in social work and teaching.

Manager of the newly created Newlands team, Salima Hafejee, said the trainees talked to the children first before deciding which activities would benefit them.

"They talk and listen to what young people want and need locally - what they want in the area," she explained. "It also gives them an experience they otherwise would never have had, such as outdoor activities like canoeing and riding."

Joining Newlands trainees in Denholme building a raft to improve team work, Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood said: "We are proud of the work being done in Bradford to help tackle these issues and the success is borne out by the statistics, which show a reduction in crime during holidays and half-tern around the five estates where the Bradford Youth Team operates.

"What we need to do now is build on what has already been achieved and listen more closely to what children and young people have to say.

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