A Lowestoft-based charity which helps get young people back on track is stepping up a gear in the way it supports Waveney youngsters.

JUMP - the Junior2Adult Unbiased Mentoring Project - wants to teach every young person in the area about setting up social enterprises and how to get funding for them. Social enterprises are community businesses or organisations which plough back a large part of their turnover so they can carry on helping others.

JUMP says social enterprises will play an increasing role for young people as one in five of them are unemployed and need an outlet for their talents or ideas.

And as youth services are cut across Waveney due to Suffolk County Council cuts, social enterprises could fill the gap left behind.

As an example of JUMP's new scheme, the charity, based off London Road North, is helping a group of musical young DJs set up a social enterprise in which they could appear at events and show youngsters how to DJ.

Base Academy will see Alex Jenner, Chris Jameson and Chris Fowler teach DJing, MCing and show young people how to play instruments.

Alex, 22 said: 'I don't think we would have been able to set it up without JUMP's help as we did not really have a clue about how to do it.

'Louise from JUMP did everything for us, from filling in forms to giving us great ideas.'

The social enterprise initiative follows a pledge by JUMP that it will try and run youth clubs in Lowestoft that are threatened with the county council axe and expand its services into other parts of Waveney.

JUMP was set up in July 2007 and provides one to one mentoring and support and holds general drop in advice sessions.

It is currently mentoring 44 young people aged 13 to 19. Its founder Louise Botwright said: 'My new project is to ensure every single young person is taught about social enterprising.

'Every young person should be given the chance to shine and use their talents in a positive way.

'Running a social enterprise is different to running a business - you can get funding to pay yourself a salary along with others who have lost a job and create some great opportunities for local people.

'The community still needs the services that are being cut and young people could be ones to help provide them.' For information on JUMP call 01502 569225 or email louise@jumpstartwithlouise.com