Activity course offers ray of hope

YOU could almost hear the blood pressure rising and the splutters of outrage. No doubt there was also some cracked china as teacups were forcefully rattled back into their saucers in sheer indignation at the news that the Government has launched a scheme which will see juvenile delinquents sent on adventure courses in an attempt to try and help them sort their lives out.

The 12-month pilot project will involve ten young people from Lothian and the Borders who have been identified as those most likely to be placed in secure accommodation or custody because of their offending behaviour.

It's the kind of story that prompts a knee-jerk reaction of the worst kind about the "scum children" of "scum parents", and "why should they get to go and enjoy themselves at my expense?" or "what about my law-abiding kids who I have to pay for if they want to go on such a course?"

But that's just the point isn't it? Thankfully for the majority of parents in Edinburgh, if they want to provide a similar opportunity for their children then they probably can just about afford to do it – and more importantly know how to access these experiences in the first place.

Undoubtedly, the parents of the teenagers who are being targeted in this new move either couldn't afford to give their kids such a chance or wouldn't even think about it due to their own lack of motivation or belief that their lives can be improved.

Who knows from where such a lack of hope or determination to succeed stems, but should that mean that children in such families – children who can yet be saved from a life of moving from secure accommodation to prison – should just be written off?

Surely as a civilised society we should be doing all we can to turn these youngsters into responsible citizens who can give something back to their communities?

Those who suffer from the offending behaviour of such children – be it vandalism or petty theft – are no doubt at the end of their tethers and have the most right to be annoyed that the perpetrators are not being severely punished. But surely even they can understand how giving a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel could keep such youngsters on the rails?

And if seven days of hiking in the Scottish countryside and learning how to become self-reliant can in some way help to do that, then the cost – a mere £123,000 – is irrelevant.

Of course, the hard work begins when these kids return to their real lives. These are children who are brought up in situations of real economic poverty. In many cases, their parents are likely to be on benefits and uninterested in encouraging a different life for their kids. Others may have hard-working single parents who, through trying to do their best to keep their head above water, end up failing to be around for their children when they really need them.

Is it any wonder then that coming from such backgrounds, between 70 to 80 per cent of youngsters in custody suffer from some sort of mental health problem? It is shocking that they're under such stress that their mental health is being affected at such a tender age.

These troubled young people seem to lack a sense of self, of hope, and also the social cohesion which would keep them on the respectable side of life.

This is where resources need to be targeted, and this pilot project is just the start. But the parents of these children need to be helped too, through support measures which could at least encourage them to instil some belief in their kids that life does not have to be a relentless round of dole money, dope and detention.

Because the good news is that parental influence is still a major factor in children's lives. Indeed, in one survey, 70 per cent of children said the person they most admired was their mother, while 62 per cent said the person they admired the second was their father.

Of course, it's easy for parents whose children are law-abiding, decent and good, to scoff that such people will never change and it's a waste of money in even attempting to help them. Perhaps they should remember that even children from "good" families can go off the rails. It's not just those on benefits whose marriages disintegrate, or who have issues with drugs and alcohol.

If their own son or daughter were to become such an offender, wouldn't they prefer it if they were offered the chance of a countryside hike rather than a police cell?

Family matters
IN the same week that Hearts ended their worst season in years, it was wonderful to read the recollections of one of the club's legends Bobby Kirk, when the team was in better fettle and actually managed to get its name inscribed on some silverware.

However there was a small omission from the Tynecastle side's triumphs – though not by Kirk as he wasn't playing for the team in the 1954-55 season when they won the Scottish League Cup for the first time.

According to my father, these things matter more the further away the victory gets – and even more so when his brother-in-law, Alex Bain, was playing for the opposing side, Motherwell, that day.

Consider it mentioned.