That's the new plan out of Great Britain, whose young people have the highest rates of drinking, drug use, gang membership, and fighting in all of Europe.
But just having a center at which to congregate may not do the trick. Youths need organized activities and mentorship.
So says the Institute for Public Policy Research, a British think tank. Research by the Institute determined that young people who participated in organized activities at age 16 were less likely to be depressed, living in poverty, or incarcerated as adults.
The research is available online, as is a BBC report and commentary.
