The government has stumped up £200,000 to fund the scheme and allow local services to deliver tailored interventions to support their day-to-day work in combating gang culture.
Interventions will include workshops to challenge territorialism and build conflict resolution skills, and 72 professionals across Scotland will receive a toolkit with more than 40 examples of intervention workshops and programmes.
Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said the initiative was about challenging the assumption among young people that gang membership can bring protection.
Detective chief inspector Andy McKay, Safer Scotland's co-ordinator, said the behaviour of the few young people in gangs blights the lives of others. "We will continue to come down hard on these people wherever and whenever they commit violence and disorder," he said. "But we need to offer those who are on the cusp of entering this lifestyle other options, while those who are already involved need to be given the understanding to make informed choices about their behaviour and offered a way out."
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