Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of celebrity gossip, but through the lens of much of the great British press our young people seem to be depicted either as feral, gun-toting gangsters or through the glamorous, vacuous - and frequently substance misusing - activities of celebrity youth culture.
Tuesday - Today, I visit one of Turning Point's youth projects in Brixton. I meet bright, excited and creative young people who have already experienced pasts that many of us would baulk at.
They are full of potential and are brutally honest in telling me what they think needs to be changed in their local area to keep young people away from crime.
It is brought home to me just how far the newspaper reports of yesterday are skewed.
Wednesday - I chair a meeting of the London Youth Crime Prevention Board, which was set up to pull together a programme of activities in order to reduce the number of our young people entering the criminal justice system.
I'm desperate for this to be more than just a talking shop and engage with some new practice; too often the kinds of meetings I attend only result in more policy documents and piles of paper. I've read enough recommendations to last a lifetime. It's frustrating because we know what works - but it needs to be replicated.
Thursday - My daughter's birthday - we go to the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. Interesting to see how kids used to occupy themselves in days gone by. Pretty different from today!
Friday - It's a busy month for my diary in terms of young people's work. In October I'm speaking at a conference organised by Kids Company and at the National Children and Adult Services Conference. Over some strong coffee, I ponder what I might say.
What would a proactive relationship with young people look like? I don't have all the answers by any means, but it seems to me that rather than demonise the young in newspaper shock stories, the first step in tackling the increasingly publicised problems of guns, gangs and drugs is to engage them in the debate.
- Lord Victor Adebowale is chief executive of social care organisation Turning Point.
