A NEW youth initiative in Bere Alston has seen parish councillors, police and young people meeting to discuss issues of concern. The Rev Nick Law, secretary of Bere Alston Youth 2 Youth project, said he had been impressed by the spirit of co-operation on all sides, and it had been a ?very positive? meeting. The original Youth 2 Youth project started six years ago as a drop-in centre run by volunteers, one evening a week, in the hut in the village. Mr Law said the hut had improved its work as the team became more experienced, and the need for an increase in opening was apparent. Some money was made available through Tavistock Youth Network and the Community Safety Partnership and Vicki Lloyd was appointed as youth worker for two evenings per week. ?Vicki is brilliant. She immediately established a good rapport with the young people, has set clear boundaries for behaviour and started to organise trips and events,? Mr Law said. More than 15 young people regularly attend the hut each evening, and a third evening has been added for younger members from 11 to 14 years. They have recently taken part in fundraising activities, including running a cake stall in aid of the parish hall regeneration project, and are forming two five-a-side football teams, with the aim of training regularly and playing matches with other youth clubs and organisations in the area. Kate Legum, a community mediator brought in by West Devon Borough Council, has been working with the young people to improve relationships between them and the wider community, and set up the tripartite meeting to discuss concerns from all sides. The meeting took place at the end of July, with four young people, their adult supporters and youth workers, five parish councillors and representatives of the police and Community Safety Partnership, including Insp Sherwood Davies and Sgt Richard Nettleship. Concerns raised by the young were boredom, the lack of anything in the village for girls to do, reports in the press and comments from councillors always seeming to focus on the negative. They felt some people were ?scaremongering? and building up barriers between generations in the village, and all young people were blamed for the acts of a few. The setting up of a youth council was suggested, and this is being investigated. Police and safety partnership members said trouble in the village had been caused by more than just a handful of ?disaffected kids?, most of them just bored or drunk. Insp Davies agreed to work with youth workers and visit the hut to address young people?s issues. More policing support would be coming online with a new youth intervention worker, a replacement Neighbourhood Beat Manager and a Police Community Support Officer. It was agreed everyone would work together to reduce nuisance behaviour. A youth issues group will meet quarterly, to which local people, young people and those working with youth will be invited. An annual ?youth day? would be established to show the positive side of, and to celebrate, young people. Mr Law, with the support of the young people, will be looking at raising money for a full-time youth worker for the village and parish councillor Hilary Boot-Handford and area youth worker Paul Dobbie will be setting up a focus group to look at the possibility of a purpose-built youth centre. Anyone interested in supporting the youth project or sponsoring the five-a-side teams is asked to contact Mr Law on 01822 840229.