Here's a quick media exercise: go to BBC News Online and do a search for "youth". What do you see in the headlines? The first page of results alone is sprinkled with words like "crackdown", "bottle attack" and "curfew".

That's just one example, and youth workers will be aware that coverage of young people is similarly negative all over the media. It seems that bad news is good news. Youth organisations have a tough task in trying to promote positive images of young people.

But it's a vital task, says Michael Cooper, campaign co-ordinator for Citizen Y in Edinburgh, an organisation dedicated to improving the image of the city's young people.

"When other groups such as asylum seekers are portrayed in the same way, there is an organisation to stand up for them," he says. "But there's no such group for young people, so it's important to challenge the negative images."

Citizen Y does that by staging public events, such as plays and demonstrations.

In 2003, it put on a play at the Edinburgh Festival called Who are you calling a ned? that was well received in the local media. Antisocial behaviour was being debated a lot at the time.

In fact, Cooper says that was exactly why it was important to stage the play. "The negative image that often appears in the media now seems to be influencing policy and legislation," he says. "The recent antisocial behaviour act in Scotland is an example of a reaction to the negative stereotype of young people with punitive measures."

Citizen Y's young people have also made murals to display in public, most recently on 12 June this year. A local artist helped, and Cooper says the public response was positive. "It was a direct way of engaging with the adult community," he says.

Make friends with the media

Staging events can be a good idea, but if it's purely to get media attention, do your homework first.

The Media Trust runs seminars to help voluntary organisations learn about making contact with the media. It can teach you how to design leaflets, write press releases and build relationships. Maureen Bosch, the trust's communications advice manager, advises youth groups to be proactive.

She says:"It's important to build a relationship with one or two journalists. Before you put energy into organising a big event, you can find out if it's likely to get any coverage."

The Media Trust and the Press Association have also set up a Community Newswire, which can be used as a channel to reach the media. Every day 20 press releases from voluntary organisations are written into news stories and sent to newsrooms around the UK.

Having media contacts worked for Youthline, a telephone advice service set up by Worcester Youth Service. The phone line is run by 16- to 25 year-olds. Youthline got positive coverage on BBC News Online, which Richard Wood, senior youth worker, puts down to having a contact there. But having young people manage the service made the story more newsworthy.

"Journalists can be cynical about stories that are obviously dressed up as positive news with little substance," says Gary Duffy, UK editor at BBC News Interactive. "But they are genuinely interested in compelling human stories. I'm sure there are plenty of young people who have stories to tell."

Dave Tyrell, 20, of Youthline, agrees that there are lots of good stories that don't get covered. He says: "I recently went to a party held by Millennium Volunteers, and there were loads of young people doing wonderful things in the community."

Young people speak out

Organisations could also consider contacting Children's Express, a news agency where young people produce news and features for the mainstream media. It is facilitated by adult journalists and youth workers.

"The young people want to challenge the stereotypes adults have," says Paula Yeoman, editorial director of Children's Express London Bureau.

"We do a lot on youth crime, and issues like healthy eating and safety, and we look at it from a young person's perspective."

Sonti Ramirez, 13, works at Children's Express producing documentaries.

She recently spent a week filming two young people's theatre groups to see how they worked together and overcame barriers. The film is due to be shown in cinemas next February as part of the International Festival of Theatre. She says it's important to show images of young people getting on.

"I don't think the media talk about young people as much as they should," she says. "When they do, it's usually to portray them as offenders."

Children's Express is aware of safety and confidentiality issues, but if you have young people dealing with the mainstream media, it's important to brief them first. Citizen Y used media training workshops and Youthline got people from Radio 1 to come and do media training with its members.

Wood says the young people at Youthline are confident with the media now. "They have to be careful what they say, but they're good," he says.

"There have been situations on the radio where they've told the presenter they can't talk about something."

But what about when you get bad publicity? If it seems serious, check the Press Complaints Commission (PCC)'s Code of Practice. There are rules on media coverage of young people. If you feel you have grounds for complaint, the first step is to contact the editor. The PCC also has a helpline, and part of the new children's commissioner for England's remit will be to deal with negative publicity.

But you don't have to go down official channels: there are more direct ways of dealing with negative coverage. C-Far, a rehabilitation organisation for young offenders, has tackled it head-on by inviting reporters to see its work first hand (see case study above).

LGBT Youth Scotland, an organisation for young gay and lesbian people, is accustomed to negative coverage. "We've had people suggesting we have pornography on our site, because six clicks away you can find a sexual health site that shows you how to put on a condom," says Grace Cardozo, national development manager.

She says half the job is simply to stop the negative coverage.

"The negative stuff is slowing down, but only because we're so careful and squeaky-clean," she states. "We have to embargo our press releases for events until afterwards, because if we put them out before it can cause a negative media storm," she adds. "We don't want the press turning up in a way that's not controlled by us, because there are going to be some young people feeling vulnerable."

Negative to positive

Always remember that negative stories are still an opportunity, if you make the effort. Try to turn the tables. "If there's a story about truancy, that's an opportunity for those who work with young people to get their news across about what's working," says The Media Trust's Bosch. "It's about taking the initiative. You're never going to get rid of bad news, but you can turn it into good."

FIND OUT MORE Community Newswire communitynewswire@mediatrust.org Children's Express www.childrens-express.org BBC News Online news.bbc.co.uk The Media Trust www.mediatrust.org Press Complaints Commission www.pcc.org.uk/cop

CASE STUDY - C-FAR IS NO HOLIDAY CAMP

C-Far is a charity in Devon that runs a rehabilitation programme for young adult male offenders. It's the kind of organisation that is routinely described in the media as being a holiday camp for criminals, but its chief executive and founder, Trevor Philpott, has succeeded in getting positive coverage. "I work on the principle of being proactive with the media," he says. "If you're reactive, you're on a hiding to nothing.

Invite them in, show them what you do."

This pre-emptive approach has mostly nipped the negative stories in the bud. But not always. There was one occasion last year where a reporter from The Citizen, a Gloucester newspaper, ran a story about a particular young offender being made to attend C-Far's programme. It went for the "holiday camp" angle.

"It was merely shooting for headlines," says Philpott. "When I saw this, I called the newspaper and said who I was and asked if they knew anything about us. They didn't. So I suggested they send a reporter and photographer down to find out. The editor was pretty good about it." The result was that a reporter did come and visit, and wrote two and a half pages with a positive angle.

A few weeks ago, a reporter from the North Devon Journal came for half a day, with a similar result. "We have a good relationship with them," says Philpott. "I gave her 30 minutes of my time and we ended with a two-page spread that was really powerful and positive." But to get those results, you have to put the effort in. "Nurture the media," advises Philpott. "There are no short cuts. It's about building a relationship, and now they are very positive."

DO'S AND DON'TS

DO

- Get to know the journalists on your local newspapers and TV newsrooms

- Study the media to find out what makes the news

- If you feel unfairly treated, contact the editor. Study the Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice so you know if there are grounds for complaint

- If young people are to face the media, practise doing mock interviews

- Remind young people that they don't have to answer a question if they don't want to

DON'T

- Spend time and money on publicity events before you know if they're going to be newsworthy

- Invite the media to an event if you cannot control their access to young people

- Expect the media to voluntarily produce glowing stories - you have to make it happen.