BORED young people in York are to be encouraged to stay off the streets with a full-year holiday activities programme costing City of York Council £45,000 to put on.

City of York Council leader Steve Galloway has given his personal backing to the holiday activity programmes for young people, after an initiative saw a drop in incidents of antisocial behaviour when the schools were off.

He said: "The sessions were a sell-out success. This rather underpins our view that teenagers do not naturally prefer to stand around on street corners. They welcome other diversions."

Leisure chiefs have recommended the council takes on a full-time community leisure officer to co-ordinate the activity programme.

Young peoples' development worker Mary Bailey said in a report that the council was keen to keep the activities on offer fresh and varied.

Links are being developed with York archaeologists this year to increase community access and awareness of York's heritage.

Ms Bailey also said the council was looking at improving the range of discounts available to young people in York through the combined York Card and library card.

"We have made very strong progress in a relatively short time," she said.

Meanwhile, a programme that works to stop young people before they start has been hailed a success.

The council-funded Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) programme works with people seen as being at risk through crime, truancy and social exclusion.

The programme, which has centred on parts of Acomb, will now be based in Tang Hall, where there have been repeated incidents of antisocial behaviour.

Activities are linked to the interest of the young person involved, and have included a visit to Whitby Abbey, learning to sew, swimming and drugs education classes.

One girl also kept a model "baby", which cries repeatedly, for a week, to give her an idea of child care responsibilities.

Murray Rose, the council's assistant director for access and inclusion, said: "Feedback in Westfield indicates that PAYP provision is starting to be successful. It has contributed to an overall reduction in antisocial behaviour in Westfield and the two secondary schools that serve the area, Lowfield and Oaklands, have reported improvements in behaviour and attendance at school of those young people who have taken part in the programme."

Leisure chiefs will discuss the holiday activity and PAYP programmes next Monday, at 5pm, at York Guildhall.

Updated: 10:49 Monday, March 01, 2004