TEENAGERS are to be given a fact-finding tour of their area.

Senior figures in local government are to brief 30 youngsters from ten schools across Teesside on how their community works.

The move is part of a drive to instil good citizenship, one of the goals of the independent charity, Common Purpose, which is organising the session ahead of citizenship being included in the National Curriculum in 2002.

Programme manager Sarah Buckley said: "If they don't understand how things work, they cannot contribute to or understand the decision-making. It is essential they understand how local government works. It gives them a feeling of ownership."

The 14-year-olds, from five schools in Redcar and Cleveland, four in Middlesbrough, and Yarm School, will be taking part in the themed day Who Runs The Town? today.

They will visit Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's CCTV centre, Eston Sports Academy and talk to officers involved in environmental health and town centre management, as well as members of the South Bank Community Forum.

Council chief executive Colin Moore will outline how local government links into national government, and Stephen Cass, assistant to the Euro MP David Bowe, will discuss how European issues affect the area.

The youngsters will then be in the council chamber to debate the question: Should there be an enforced curfew on teenagers at night?