TEENAGERS from Worcester can help shape the future of the city thanks to a nationwide scheme to raise the profile of local government amongst youngsters.

The city council will this week go to schools for the childrens' views on how Worcester should progress, with cash prizes for the most innovative, practical and well-argued suggestions.

Year 10 and 11 students are being asked to pen 1,500-word essays on one of four topics - how to make Worcester more "safe", "prosperous", "green and healthy" or "inclusive".

As part of Local Democracy Week, the aim is to engage teenagers on the issues and practises used by the council to put plans into action.

Winning entries - as selected by council leaders and UCW director of life-long learning professor Geoffrey Elliott - will be posted on the city council's website.

"Pupils at secondary school will have already formed a vision of what they like and dislike about their environment as well as how they see Worcester developing over the next few years," said organiser and council officer Graham Clowes.

As part of the same initiative, aspiring journalists and PR executives are being asked to write and design a newspaper page featuring key council issues.

Both initiatives are being lined-up as part of Local Democracy Week, which targets people up to the age of 26 and tries to fire their interest in local government.