A hard-hitting, online interactive drama series that allows young people to experiment with sex, drugs and violence has been commissioned by Lewisham Council.

Trylife is a revolutionary transmedia-based platform filmed in Lewisham and designed by the UK’s youth, education, health and creative industries in an attempt to change the way young people think and act on life’s issues.

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Following the release of a successful pilot in 2012, the second episode, to be screened this weekend at Southbank’s British Film Institute, focuses on gang culture, knife crime and the sexual exploitation of young women.

Newcastle-based Creator Paul Irwin said: “Having worked in social welfare roles over the last two decades, it’s plain to see how challenging the world is for teenagers because a lot of change happens in their lives over a relatively short period of time.

“We know Trylife empowers young people and, as bold as it may sound, with the power of social media today, we fully believe it has the ability to do more youth work than any other community project to date.”

Written, directed and produced by the people the series is trying to reach, the project’s second episode features more than 50 possible routes for young people to experiment with and subsequently learn through the consequences of the characters’ experiences.

Lewisham Council’s director for public health Danny Ruta said: "We realised that we needed to raise awareness amongst young people of the consequences of their life choices in a way that wasn't lecturing or judgmental, and through a medium – drama - that was both familiar and engaging.

“The idea of allowing young people to 'try life' before finding themselves in difficult life situations for real was such a compelling one. The process of actually developing and producing the drama has engaged so many young people and has delivered so many positive outcomes for those involved."

An interactive eLearning section of Trylife’s website is in development along with plans for a Trylife roadshow.

Lewisham police commander Chief Superintendent Russell Nyman said: "This project is an excellent innovation, which Lewisham Police support. We were involved in some of the location selection and in terms of giving advice as the project progressed.”

Click below to watch the episode 2 trailer: