SUTTON youngsters have drawn on their own experiences of bullying to send a strong message to the culprits. The teenagers from Sutton Youth Club have created a rap CD, called Issues and Truths, which aims to ask bullies the reasons for their actions. Sam

SUTTON youngsters have drawn on their own experiences of bullying to send a strong message to the culprits.

The teenagers from Sutton Youth Club have created a rap CD, called Issues and Truths, which aims to ask bullies the reasons for their actions.

Sam Bowers-Broadley, 15, and 14-year-olds Dolly Lines, Emily Lontay and Becci Mainwaring wrote the tracks for their CD which puts forward a victim's point of view and another from a person who witnessed bullying.

The project worked on two levels. By writing and producing the raps, the young people thought about issues that may affect their area and young people listening to the CD can hear messages about teenage issues from other youngsters in a format with which they can identify.

All the youngsters had experience of bullying, either as a victim, or knowing others who had been bullied.

They made their CD with the help of youth worker, Adam Lacey, and recorded it at Huntingdon Youth Centre.

The project was supported by Cambridgeshire County Council's Youth Service, which is handling distribution to various youth projects, and Connexions, which designed an interactive CD for use in CD or DVD players and computers.

The music and lyrics can also be downloaded from the Connexions website at www.purplepigeon.net.

One of the raps could not be used on the CD for copyright reasons but the lyrics can still be downloaded from the internet.

Pictured are Dolly Lines (centre), Al Smith (right) and Sam Bowers-Broadly.

Photo: HELEN DRAKE