A teenage girl whose cousin was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked attack last year has re-launched a project to deter young people from crime.

Deborah Kormi, 17, invites reformed drug dealers, prisoners and gang members to meetings where they share their stories of getting into and out of criminal activity.

The 1Way Project, which started from her living room in 2010, has gained momentum since Deborah's cousin Fico Dougan, 17, died after a brutal stab attack in Croydon last September.

Deborah, who lives on the Laburnum Court estate in Mitcham, said: "I'm passionate about seeing change for young people because the young person who got stabbed and died last year was my cousin and that was a shock.

"I just want to see people stop using knives."

She held a special memorial meeting after Fico was stabbed in a frenzied and unprovoked attack by Mitcham teenager Uriah Gardner at the killer's sister's house in Broad Green, Croydon, on September 25.

Deborah, a business student at St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College in Balham, opened up the Christian project to young people from all over south west London in 2011 when she started running meetings in St Mark's Church hall in Mitcham.

She said: "Quite a lot of people have died in the last year in the area as a result of knife and gang crime in south west London.

"Even if I don't know the young person who got stabbed I still feel their pain. It's just a waste of life.

"I'm not sure how people get into it, maybe it's because they are not in education, or they might not have a job so they probably get bored which causes them to go down the wrong road.

"Through my project, although I encourage people to get into education, there's also the faith aspect. The ex gang-members and drug dealers they changed their life as a result of them going to Christ."

Ex-gang member Buba Otu, of Shrublands in Croydon, shared his testimony at a 1Way Project meeting last year.

Twenty-year-old Mr Otu, who has just come to the end of a three-year ASBO banning him from Croydon town centre, said: "I used to sell drugs and have fights with people from other areas.

"I was quite deep, deep involved because if anything really happened to me people would have got hurt for it so I would say I had respect and love.

"I got banned from the area for three years. I had a tag and could have gone to prison but thank God I didn't."

Mr Otu, who joined a gang when he was 12 years old, said he found the courage to leave after joining the Christian community.

He said: "When I went to church one day, a friend invited me to church and that day was so amazing.

"Something amazing happened to me and my church family showed me so much love I couldn't compare to the love I was getting outside."

Mitcham residents raised concerns about knife crime in Mitcham at a public meeting with Merton's borough commander Chief Superintendent Stuart Macleod last month.

The meeting came after the stabbing of Seth Adu, 26, in Montrose Gardens in June.

Deborah stood up to "apologise on behalf of the young people of Mitcham" at the meeting, after residents said they felt intimidated by young people congregating on street corners.

She said: "I do understand that sometimes young people can be a bit annoying.

"I do see groups of young people ganging up together but most of the time they are just there listening to music so sometimes people get the wrong idea."

The next meeting of The 1Way Project is due to take place in St Mark's Church, Mitcham on Thursday, October 30. For more information, visit deborahkormi.com/the-1-way-project.