BY CONOR SHARKEY

VANDALISM, anti-social behaviour and general mayhem - terms that have become synonymous with Sion Mills over the past few years.

However the tide could be at last be set to turn in the leafy village, thanks to a new scheme involving the local neighbourhood watch group and drug and alcohol project DIVERT.

In a bid to change the perception of themselves as "young louts", a group of Sion Mills teenagers have signed up to the eight week cross-community initiative. On a weekly basis, a group of up to 18 teenagers meet with community representative Andy Patton and DIVERT's Leona McMenamin. During these meetings, the group discuss why they believe they are being unfairly lambasted by local residents and the media alike. Meanwhile DIVERT representative Leona gives a run down of the dangers of alcohol and drugs, while also involving the group in team building and confidence building exercises.

For volunteering to participate in the project, the group are rewarded with, amongst other things, outdoor pursuits and days away. Meanwhile a trip to Stormont and a weekend residential have also been earmarked for the near future.

Explaining his role in the initiative, Andy Patton said, "The young people came to me and asked for something to take them off the streets. So, I contacted DIVERT and they were very keen to get involved.

"It has been very successful so far. We had our first day out last week when we travelled to Lagan Valley Leisure Centre. It was a great day all round and thankfully all the youngsters have come back to continue with the course."

Keen to stress the positive steps the teenagers of Sion Mills are taking to shake off their negative image, the neighbourhood watch representative added, "Not all the young people around here are bad. Most of them are misunderstood and misrepresented. What it comes down to is that there is no outlet for them and that is what is badly missing from the village. I have raised it with Strabane District Council on numerous occasions and they encouraged me to ask the youngsters what they want and what is needed for them. The council also informed us that funding could become available if the numerous sporting, community and historical groups in the village amalgamated to form one big umbrella group. That has just been done, so we are hoping that the council will help us out financially in the near future," he said.

Commenting on why he signed up to the initiative, 16-year-old Jordan Stewart explained "Basically, I signed up because we were getting blamed for everything that goes on around here. Our reputation is bad and by joining this project, hopefully the people of the village will look at us differently. Almost every week the paper's report us wrecking property and torturing people, but most of the group don't even drink. As for the people responsible for the bad things that do happen in Sion, I would say to them, own up to it, because you are giving us and the village a very bad name," he said.

Fifteen-year-old Steven Magee added, "I enjoy the project because you get to learn about the downside of drink and drugs. Also, I want the people of this area to be able to walk to the shop in the evening without feeling threatened and hopefully when they see what we are doing here, they'll think differently. All we want is to be given a chance and I would be prepared to go to a meeting with the older residents of Sion and let them see that we aren't all bad."

Another teenager participating in the joint initiative is Ciaran McKenna (17). He said that while the bad name given to Sion's youth is undeserved, he can see where it's coming from.

"I can understand why residents of the village feel intimidated sometimes. If you see a gang of teenagers hanging about outside a shop or outside your house, you are bound to be concerned. But all we want is somewhere where we can go and relax. A community house where we can gather to watch television or play a bit of sport and just chat would be ideal. We don't want to be hanging about the streets, but there is just nowhere for us," he said.

Meanwhile, the group could be on their way to meet Northern Ireland's political leaders, with a trip to Stormont possibly in the offing. Other landmarks put forward by the teenagers as places they would be interested in seeing included the former H Blocks and the grave of George Best.

So, while the column inches of the press have in the past tended to focus on the negative side to life in the sleepy village, it appears that winds of change may be beginning to whisper. Maybe there is a future for the teenagers of Sion Mills after all."