Hundreds more young people will have the opportunity to be mentored by elite sports stars, musicians and top media professionals thanks to a £3m investment from the DCMS, which will enable the government's Youth Mentor Programme to continue.

The aim of the programme, which uses high-profile industry professionals as mentors for disadvantaged and disaffected youth, is to reduce anti-social behaviour and youth crime by encouraging young people to fulfill their potential.

The scheme focuses on three strands – sport, music and media – which will be run in conjunction Youth Music, Media Trust and a partnership between Sport England and Youth Sport Trust (YSP).

Each organisation will receive £1m from the DCMS, over the next three years, to continue their existing one-to-one and group mentoring schemes for those aged between 11 and 25-years-old.

One of the schemes to be renewed by this funding is the Respect Athlete Mentoring Programme (RAMP), which was part of former Prime Minster Tony Blair's RESPECT agenda, a strategy to tackle anti-social behaviour.

RAMP, which ended March 2008 after delivering 150 group and one-to-one 'mentoring packages', will now continue to use athletes as trained mentors and sports to influence positive behavioural changes.

Culture secretary Andy Burnham, said: "Each and every young person should have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Sadly, too many youngsters go off the rails for want of someone they can respect to steer them in the right direction.

"The youth mentoring programme will help young people find a new passion to stimulate their interest and increase their self-confidence. With just a little encouragement and and advice these people may well go on to be the broadcaster, sport stars and musicians of the future."

Amongst the aims of the organisations, Youth Music intends to extend its reach from 2.3 million to three million young people by 2010.

Existing mentor projects are currently run by these organisations in London, Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham and Hull.