A £500,000 initiative aimed at stopping young people from carrying knives was announced yesterday by the Scottish Government.
A £500,000 initiative aimed at stopping young people from carrying knives was announced yesterday by the Scottish Government.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill revealed details of the No Knives Better Lives campaign at a special youth conference - where schoolchildren had the chance to have their say on the issue in a Big Brother-style diary room.
The Scottish Government has been working with the Violence Reduction Unit and a group of about 50 young people over the last six months to develop the initiative, which aims to educate youngsters about the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.
Part of the money will be used to develop new products and promotional materials for the campaign, and young people will be given the message at schools, via the internet and at conferences.
Mr MacAskill stressed the role young people have in tackling the problem at the national youth conference on violence and knife crime at Edinburgh's Murrayfield stadium.
Students from 11 schools across Scotland were invited to the event.
Stressing that most youngsters were well-behaved and were more likely to be a victim than an offender, Mr MacAskill said: "We've seen too many young lives damaged or lost by a knife - we can't go on as we are."
He said: "To change Scotland's culture of violence we need to educate young people and help them understand the consequences of carrying a knife.
"We also need to listen to what young people have to say, speak to them about what can help and act on it. That's why we've been working with young people to develop this £500,000 initiative to help engage with young people and give them information about the dangers of carrying a knife.
"They've told us No Knives Better Lives was a simple yet powerful message, and that we should be using viral internet clips, short films, information hubs and competitions to speak positively with young people. That is what this initiative is all about.
"We'll be working with schools, youth groups, local communities and through the internet to make sure the No Knives Better Lives message gets to as many young people as possible."
Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, the head of the Violence Reduction Unit, also stressed the importance of listening to youngsters.
He said: "As adults we often forget what it's like to be young and how something like knife crime impacts on young people. All too often young people are portrayed negatively, when the truth is they are just the same as us - they want nothing more than to be with their friends and family and to be safe."
