Ross Deuchar

At first glance, it may seem that two hospital surgeons, a basketball player, footballers Barry Ferguson and Steven McManus, and Glasgow band Glasvegas are strange bedfellows. But all of them gave their support to a groundbreaking initiative held at Glasgow Sheriff Court last Friday, which had one simple goal: to eradicate gang violence from the streets of Glasgow.

For the second time in less than four months, more than 100 rival gang members from the east end of Glasgow sat side by side in the court. The audience comprised an eclectic mix of doctors, sports coaches and reformed delinquents, as well as invited guests from the world of politics, education, social services and sport. The gang members had been brought together to hear three messages: first, the violence must stop; secondly, the community has had enough; and, thirdly, there are alternatives to violence and opportunities for change.

The session was organised by the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV), a collaborative venture between the National Violence Reduction Unit and local partners across Glasgow. Following on from an earlier gang summit in October last year, this low-key event was a means of taking young men on a new journey. Under the coordination of Detective Chief Inspector Andy McKay, the event organisers had looked Stateside for the inspiration for the event and the session was modelled on previous innovations in Boston and Cincinnati which succeeded in reducing gang violence and youth homicides.

The session began with two doctors talking about their experiences of performing emergency surgery on young gang members as a result of mindless violence. They appealed to the young men to consider the consequences of such violence, such as the scars that would prevent them from gaining employment or from attracting serious girlfriends. The mother of a young victim of gang violence described the horrific feeling of not being able to recognise her 13-year-old son following a brutal gang attack involving a machete. And a reformed juvenile murderer told his own story of the devastation that he had brought to his victim's family, and the torture of having to live with the guilt. "You've got an opportunity today," he appealed to them. "Take it - or you could end up like me in 15 years."

Other contributions from reformed gang members in Glasgow were interspersed with recorded messages of support from footballers Ferguson and McManus, and followed by an emotive appeal from Rob Yanders from the Scottish Rocks professional basketball team. Yanders told the story of his brother dying in his arms as a result of gang violence in Chicago. "It's OK to change,'" he assured the youngsters, "and it doesn't mean you turn your backs on your friends."

For those who were prepared to leave gang violence behind, there was the promise of immediate and tailored services. Participants were presented with a card with a free telephone number, and the promise of an early response and access to a range of support services. The session ended with an appeal from John Carnachan, head of the Violence Reduction Unit. "Which one of you is going to have the bottle to change your life?" he challenged. As several youngsters began to stand up, the court dissolved under the sound of applause from the audience.

My research illustrates youngsters living in the most deprived areas of Glasgow often gain a sense of status and identity from gang membership. Those who experience dysfunctional home lives sometimes view their gang as a surrogate family. However, involvement in gangs results in violence and restricted social mobility. The CIRV initiative recognises that gangs can be a positive source of youth development for young people with the most difficult home backgrounds. But the project's aim is to eradicate the violence associated with a minority of high-risk gang members. There have already been more than 100 self-motivated referrals among the attendees from the first gang summit last October, with positive signs that similar outcomes can be achieved again from the latest session.

There has been a recent tendency among some sections of the media to demonise youngsters in deprived communities who hang about on the streets in groups. But what they need is support and encouragement to find diversionary recreational pastimes and employment opportunities which steer them away from violence and territorial crime.

One lad I worked with recently said his involvement in gang violence has resulted in his family living in constant fear he might be attacked. "All my family think I'm gonna end up gettin' murdered wi' a knife or a gun," he said. Let us hope the new pragmatic approach to tackling Glasgow gang violence and re-engaging young people reaches out to youngsters like this - before it is too late. Ross Deuchar is a senior lecturer at Strathclyde University's Faculty of Education. His book Gangs, Marginalised Youth and Social Capital will be published by Trentham in September