When young people see Jay Blades approaching them from around a street corner, they sometimes assume he is about to beat them up or sell them drugs.
"The young people we deal with are having to survive on the street, so when I first speak to them, their barriers are up," he says. "But when they realise I'm selling them something for their benefit, they can't help buying into it. We're like a pair of trainers to young people - they all want a piece of Street Dreams."
Reaching out
Street Dreams is an Oxfordshire-based participation project run by Blades and his colleague, Jade Erguvanli. It has just spawned a Street Parliament, to give a voice to young people who are not easily reached by council youth services (YPN, 29 September-5 October, p6).
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