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Prof Gus John, second right, with young people who organised the event, from left, Shenise Clarke, Brittanie Clarke, Damien James, Marsha Jackson and Hiron Browne

SIXTY teenagers were today warned to stay away from 'guns, gangs and the walking dead' at a hard-hitting conference to keep them on the straight and narrow.

For the past two months about 20 young people at the Leys Community Development Initiative in Blackbird Leys have been researching ways to tackle young people's temptation to turn their back on school for a life of crime.

Today, the group's work culminated in a conference involving role-playing workshops, dramatisations of gang situations and a speech entitled Guns, Gangs and The Walking Dead by Government anti-gang adviser Prof Gus John.

More than 100 people, including schoolchildren from across Oxford, police officers and youth service providers attended the event in Transport Way.

Carlos Spencer, 16, from Nettlebed Mead, Greater Leys, said: "It has been hard work but it's been enjoyable. The conference went really well. You do get youngsters who think Should I turn to this way of life with easy money?' Hopefully now they will stay in school and choose a better way of life."

Simone Smith, 20, from Blackbird Leys Road, recited a poem she wrote about gangs on the estate.

She said: "The conference was great. People heard about others' experiences with crime. This will give people knowledge and has asked them to do a bit of soul searching about who they are and what they want."

Prof John, a former Dominican Friar who was based in St Giles, said: "Conferences like this are absolutely essential.

"Too often discussions about issues concerning young people and their schooling and their involvement in offending take place without any young person in the room."

As well as organising the conference, the young people filmed teenagers' reactions to gun and knife crime in Blackbird Leys and visited Birmingham to talk about gang issues with youth project The Young Disciples.

Estate police inspector Phil Standish said: "It has been a hard-hitting and emotive conference.

"We haven't got a massive problem in Oxford as a whole with gangs - as they have in Manchester, London or Birmingham - but I'm keen to do preventative work.

"This is the first of a series of workshops and conferences for young people in Blackbird Leys."

Project manager Beth Knowles said: "The young people have worked really hard on exploring issues and planning the conference while thinking about what kind of day would inspire young people."

6:14pm Thursday 27th March 2008

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