Youths encouraged to give back

Prosecutors in the Haidian district of Beijing have come up with an innovative way to engage youths in community projects and tackle crime.

Schools and parents will be involved in getting youths to make a valuable social contribution, Yang Xin'e, director of the juvenile prosecution department of the authority, said.

"We'll go to a high school in our area, on a particular day, and talk to students, parents and teachers," Yang said.

"We'll discuss, with adults, ways to prevent juvenile crime and show young people how to get involved and help them deal with different situations that they might find themselves in."

The authority also invited experts from the education and legal fields to take part in the meetings.

Games will also be organized for students and parents which will help foster community spirit, she said. Live videos and photos of various activities will be put on their official micro blog.

This will enable the community to share their experiences with people around the world and may inspire other communities to do something similar, Yang said.

The meetings are expected to become a regular event, she said.

Parents sometimes, because of their own lack of education, are unable to stop children from going astray, and it is important to involve them in any initiative, Yang said.

The prosecutors are helping young people who have questions or issues they want to discuss with a website that can address their concerns.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn