They were the young people written off as troublemakers, future offenders and lost causes.

This was the identity they had assumed for most of their lives, growing up in deprived areas of west and north Glasgow but when one Maryhill mum decided to give them each a fighting chance, they stepped up to the challenge.

Emily Cutts set up G20 Youth Festival last summer after a gang of young people started setting fires, drinking and littering The Children's Wood and North Kelvin Meadow which she runs.

Instead of chasing them off the land with threats of police involvement, the mum-of-two decided to understand what drove the group of pre-teen and teenagers who congregated on the community ground.

READ MORE: East end community choir set up to beat chest conditions hits the high notes

She said: "We decided rather than move them on to somewhere else we wanted to try and stop the anti-social behaviour and ask why they were doing it and what we could do."

She and others spent the next few months "sort of hanging around", some nights staying until 11pm, trying to engage the youngsters and were able to hire youth workers through the National Theatre of Scotland who were doing a play on the land at the time.

After realising that the bored young people had no other channel for their energy, Ms Cutts set about trying to remedy the situation.

She said: "Very quickly we realised this group needed a lot of support. From what we could gather, there was nothing for them to do in the community. And given that their behaviour was challenging, we wanted to do some more diversionary activities."

A year on, G20 Youth Festival is a local success story, running activities, education and entertainment five nights a week with young people participating in a forest school, football, climbing, canoeing and tricking - a version of parkour. Collaborations with groups including Police Scotland, Lambhill Stables and Partick Thistle Charitable Trust has kept the programme varied.

The charity is now raising funds to establish a permanent hub for the up to 70 young people, who currently gather at the Children's Wood or the nearby McDonald's on Maryhill Road.

Tonight, G20 are holding a fundraiser at Community Central Halls on Maryhill Road from 8pm. Popular Radio Clyde DJ and local, George Bowie is hosting and items made by the young people will be sold to raise money to meet the annual running costs of the warehouse unit in Ruchill that will be the group's new home.

Ms Cutts said: "We do a lot of outreach work working with kids on the street and they need a safe place as a base. We wanted to find somewhere they could decorate, and decide what to have there."

READ MORE: Silent disco brings respite to people living with dementia

It's this sense of ownership that has helped cement the bonds of trust between G20 and the young people. Sharing responsibility for the group allows them autonomy - something that can be severely lacking in the rest of their lives.

Ms Cutts, who works for the Centre of Confidence and Wellbeing, understands the profound impact Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have . She said: "A lot of the problems we see are from ACEs and I'd been campaigning for a more nurturing childhood for people. So lots of outdoor play, lots of involvement from the wider community, things that bring people together rather than separating people."

The local community have embraced G20 but some were apprehensive at first.

Ms Cutts said: "Some were quite scared but once they understood the impact of childhood trauma and saw that actually these children were feeling scared a lot of the time, they've been really supportive.

Central to the nights spent breakdancing or watching movies is ensuring every young person is fed.

Ms Cutts said: "Hunger is a big issue for a lot of our young people. Everything that we do revolves around food because that's a major need."

They have been taught how to cook simple, healthy dishes with pizza, bolognese, chilli and kebabs all on the menu.

The turnaround in the young people has been huge, says Ms Cutts, with almost all of them feeling safe enough to reveal their true natures.

She said: "We have noticed that we're not getting the anti-social behaviour we used to get. That's partly because we've developed a relationship with them personally as well as developing a relationship with the land."

Building trust with the young people was no easy feat but persistence and staying true to their words, meant Ms Cutts and the youth workers soon started to break down barriers.

She said: "It's taken quite a long time. For a lot of them there was no opportunity to take control of their life and develop their skills and talents. No wonder we had a problem, there was no provision giving them things they really wanted to do that would develop them as a person.

"Everything has a cost and if you've got nothing then you just can't do it. You can't participate in the life that everyone else has."

To buy tickets, click here.