I OPENED a new canteen at the council's Wallasey Dock Road depot this week. The remarkable thing about this particular canteen is that it has been built entirely by the apprentices who work for the council's construction services.

I mention this for two reasons. Firstly, because it's good to recognise a positive contribution from young people. They've made a very fine job of it and I'd like to congratulate them. Secondly, because the whole subject of young people is very much in the news at the moment.

Michael Portillo put forward his recommendation that all schools should have cadet corps, with military style training for children including, presumably, training in the use of weapons. The Labour Party, in contrast, put forward its plans for a community volunteer force. The new provisions of the government's Housing Act relating to homelessness came into force and the inquiry into extensive child abuse in children's homes in Clwyd began.

Now, you may wonder what all these different issues have in common.

If we're honest, particularly as we grow older, there is a tendency to see young people as a nuisance, as a 'problem' to be dealt with. "What they need is a good dose of old-fashioned discipline", we mutter (forgetting there are positive sides to youth, like energy, enthusiasm, idealism, to name but a few). "Teach them respect", we say. But what kind of respect do we as a society give them?

Homelessness Sunday by the Churches highlighted that homelessness for young people is a growing problem.

Even in Wirral, which doesn't have a major homelessness problem, there are increasing problems in placing youngsters in decent accommodation because places aren't available for the small amount of money that can now be paid.

One of the shocking elements of the Clwyd inquiry, apart from the scale of the abuse that was taking place was the fact that it could take place because the youngsters concerned were so powerless.

Complaints only brought more trouble. Few people cared enough to listen.

What message do we want to send our young people today? Do we want to say to them: "You're trouble. You're not worth listening to." Or do we want to say: "You're our future. You have a lot to offer. We want to hear from you, we want to give you a chance to show what you can do in the community through voluntary work, in employment with decent jobs (and decent wages), in schools and training courses.

If it was my child, I know which message I'd prefer them to hear.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.