OPINION: The spirit of young enterprise lives on

The former is preoccupied with antisocial behaviour, the latter is in the business of promoting citizenship and participation.

Not that such apparent contradictions are anything new. I recall at the end of the 1980s reading a report by the Association of Chief Officers of Probation. It deplored the fact that while young adult offenders were top of the criminal justice agenda, young adults - 16- to -25-year-olds - were bottom of the social security agenda. The result was that probation officers had no time for constructive rehabilitative practice because they were immersed in debt counselling and trying to divert their young clients from reoffending because they were denied benefits.

But even earlier I witnessed a wonderful clash of public policy aspirations. In the mid-1980s, schools got a little accolade for transmuting into "healthy eating" schools. No longer were crisps or chocolate sold at break times; instead it was to be apples and muesli bars. Then came along the "mini-enterprise" initiative, where all young people were expected to have a little bash at becoming "entrepreneurs". This was part of political concern that too few young people ever even contemplated the idea of self-employment: a taste for it in school might provide motivation and encouragement. The aspiration was that all secondary schools should promote some "mini-enterprise" activity.

Two wide boys at a self-proclaimed and publicly acknowledged "healthy eating school" spotted a glaring gap in the market. The head teacher had announced a curriculum shutdown for a week, during that time the school became a market place. Everything had its price. If you wanted to run a disco, you could hire the hall. The corridors were up for hire if you wanted a table to sell from. Or you could provide a service, which was exactly the thought in the heads of these two fourth year lads.

They borrowed a barbecue, stocked up with supplies from the local cash-and-carry and spent three days giving those young people what they wanted: burgers, chips, chocolate bars and crisps. They made more profit for themselves than any other "mini-enterprise" that took place at the same time. The head teacher could only look on in amazement.

And while the Department of Trade and Industry must have been delighted at the effectiveness of its initiative, the Department of Health was no doubt horrified about how easily, even temporarily, its own initiative could be reversed.