A new website aims to encourage solidarity and greater participation in decision-making by Oxfordshire's youths.

The county council's spired.com initiative will be launched at The Net youth centre in Bridge Street, Abingdon, at 5pm next Friday.

It aims to motivate youngsters aged between 11 and 18 to take part in local decision making on all issues. It also aspires to encourage a community spirit among them. Chris McVeigh, of Ossian Associates, which is in charge of designing and marketing the site, said: "It aims to be a way of making young people in Oxfordshire participate in local democracy.

Membership to spired.com is free. The site will offer an information page on issues including education, law and housing. In the What's On section, teenagers can find out about events and even submit their own reviews. The main focus of the website will be The Forum, where a virtual conference room will give the county's youth its own voice in local government. It will be a forerunner to the Oxfordshire Youth Parliament being planned for next year.