A residential course for 13 Belfast teenagers has taken place in Falcarragh, north Co Donegal. It was one of the first Youth at Risk programmes in Ireland.
Described as a US-style "tough love" programme, the young people were either car thieves or were abusing drugs or alcohol.
The charity Youth at Risk has run similar schemes in Sweden, the Netherlands and Australia and an Irish cross-Border project is now being planned.
Mr Jimmy Quinn, of Belfast-based Youth at Risk, said "tough love" was an accurate description of the programme. "We let them know that we do love them and care for them but it is a hard, in-your-face-type love where if they give a commitment to do something and don't do it, we confront them. They have to take responsibility for their own actions."
The reason for taking them to Falcarragh was "to get them out of their own environment, to encourage them to break free of their past".
The aim of the residential course is "to scrape away the layers of a young person's life" and find the cause of their antisocial behaviour. There is then a nine-month follow-up programme.
Mr Quinn said it was often found that some form of abuse sparked the behaviour and as a result the teenager felt worthless.
He said there was some resistance from parents in the initial stages because the young person could change considerably.
A documentary made by Belfast-based Double Band Films followed the 13 teenagers as they took part in the scheme. Entitled Don't Look Down, it will be shown on RTE as part of the True Lives series at 10 p.m next Tuesday.