Home Project

Have you ever wondered what your locality looks like when viewed through the eyes of a 19 year old?

In an effort to get the views of young Londoners about what their locality means to them, BBC London has been volunteering time for media training and support between January and April 2008.

The HOME project has been a chance for the young people, mainly from east London schools and colleges, to communicate their views about where they live, their families and the pressures they face.

Learning from journalist, Ramaa Sharma

This is a group who are wearily accustomed to seeing themselves stereotyped and even demonised by the media. But those who have signed up to HOME intend to tell it like it is from where they're standing. And they hope to knock a few preconceptions into the bargain.

The project is aimed at 16 – 25 year olds who haven't previously had experience of the skills used in the creative industries. They're offered tasters in either video, audio, photography or graphics, and each group gets a little introduction into creative writing as well.

Ahmed Musa is 19 and lives in Bethnal Green. He said "It's got me focused. I've never done anything like this before".

Yousef Dudleh, who found out about HOME through his youth club said, "It's been fun, challenging and creative".

A window into a new world

The films, photos and audio are a personal window into individual lives, tackling powerful issues like racism, drug abuse and teenage pregnancies.

Young people have shown real commitment

In the first session, the film-making group tackled the theme of 'the built environment' by shooting and editing pieces about the places they like to hang out with their friends and the disparities between the wealthy and the poor in Tower Hamlets.

In the second session, the audio group tackled the theme of 'family and support networks' with an extended interview with one young east Londoner who had turned his life around after getting mixed up in drugs and alcohol while at school.

The scheme is spread over 5 sessions, and Penny Wrout, BBC London’s Communities Editor says, "This is an attempt to provide a short-term project which does more than scratch the surface. The aim is to build a showcase, over 3 months, for the creative potential of young people from tough backgrounds. It’s uncharted territory for us all - a genuine experiment".

BBC London is running HOME with support from Tower Hamlets Partnership, Arts Council England, Rich Mix, CSV and Crisis.

To see their work, go to the HOME project index, through the link on the right hand side of this web page.