Young people are being helped to run their own services and activities under a new scheme.

Restoration Youth, in the former Swale Borough Council offices, Sheerness, is offering a new project called Vision Shop.

A grant of £2,500 from Swale Youth Forum was donated to the initiative, which helps teenagers to organise things like events and trips.

Ideas are turned into reality through four stages where they are assessed, planned, delivered and finally reviewed.

Restoration Youth founder Dan Pyke said: “It’s a whole different way of providing activities for young people because it is done by them, for them.”

Since it started three weeks ago there are already seven ideas being created, including a self-help bullying group aimed at building self-esteem set up by a group of 13- and 14-year-old girls.

A separate group of 13- to 14-year-old boys want to organise a three-day trip to France to study the First World War.

Vision Shop is open on Mondays and Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm.

Restoration Youth has also just been commissioned by MidKent College to run a course for six school-leavers aged between 16 and 19.

The accredited programme will offer work experience and education, to prepare them for either full-time employment or college.

Mr Pyke said: “We are able to relate the maths and English to real work in terms of their personal and social skills to make sure they are ready for work.”

Other projects in the pipeline include a business incubator run by Innov8 On Sheppey from the Trinity Road building, which is hoped to help young people realise their money-making ambitions.

A music studio, Restoration Booth, is also helping young people to work on and record musical projects.