A GROUP of teenagers in Kirklees have created a music video to help educate young people about gang culture, knife crime, drugs, hate crime and exploitation.

"The Peace Tribe" - a collection of 12 to 18-year-olds from across the district - produced "L.O.V.E." and it went live on video-streaming platform, YouTube, three weeks.

The whole thing was made possible by The Safety in Music Project (#SIM), supported by West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

The entire music production, including the lyrics and vocals, were developed by the teenagers.

This was after a series of workshops, which were funded by the VRU and allowed the group of young people to reflect on their experiences and feelings on subjects such as drugs and crime.

One of the young people, who was not named, said: “It was really interesting to involve current society in a music project in a way that relates to younger people and teenagers, bringing awareness to all.

"I really like the creation and making of the track with other young people as it helped me connect with them and the music produced.

"It really built up my confidence in socialising with others my own age.

"We saw how gangs themselves were stereotyped as a certain gender or race, but this is not the case. Everyone at any age can be involved.

"In the music we unpacked how gangs themselves can be biased and stereotypical, through racism, sexism, discrimination and more.

"We hope to show people that there is a positive side to this kind of lifestyle, and it doesn't have to end in crime.

"Be safe, try not to be persuaded to do anything illegal, tell someone who you're involved with and if it's unsafe, try to find a way to leave.

"The music we produce should hopefully entice young people to listen and think about the choices they are making."

You can watch the music video here: youtube.com/watch?v=cs4VYGxxV2c&feature=youtu.be