Photovoice workshops

Credit: Perkins 

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Caption: A job to be seen as less than, paying less than. As commuters go about their day, it goes unnoticed the hard work of those working around them and the great impact they have on our community 

 

Additional information: The importance of community workers was a recurrent theme across the workshops, from street cleaners to librarians to community hub workers. The group felt it was important to ask ourselves where we would be without our community workers. The importance of advocating for community workers was stressed especially in terms of employment challenges such as pay. 

Credit: Shaz 

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Caption: This photo is showing the food that is on the menu for the day so you will queue and pay and you can eat in or take away. The kitchen strengthens communities and supports families on low income. It’s not heavily promoted and relies on word of mouth bringing the community together. It’s very important that the mothers have somewhere to bring their children to play and have lunch and breakfast. It has all meals and breakfast is £1.50 and also the children have a happy environment. 

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Additional information: The community kitchen illustrated in this photo was said to be picking up on the failings of the government. The kitchen offers cheaply priced food for adults and free food for children which alleviates stress and poverty. The photographer said that the kitchen and café space also encouraged people to take a break and gave parents some downtime while kids ate and played. The group talked about how the space has a sense of community and that people come there to socialise when they are lonely. However, it was pointed out by multiple group members that many people don’t know about community hubs like these as there is a lot of misinformation and disconnect between systems including healthcare professionals and community organisations so many are unable to signpost appropriately. As such, the group called for better integration between services. 

Credit: Burhan Ali 

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Caption: A cluttered corner with a curious “assembly point” sign in an unlikely spot 

 

Additional information:  The photographer expressed their concern at this fire assembly point near their place of work due to small signage, proximity to waste and the inaccessible location. They talked about the need for comprehensive fire safety and broader health and safety measure in places of employment. 

Credit: Curie Freeborn 

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Caption: The Power of family to stand strong in the face of life’s ups and downs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the family was the only institution that the government couldn’t legislate against. Although this statue is a Windrush memorial, it speaks to the strength of family and the power of unity. 

 

Additional information: Despite being a statue about Windrush, the photographer said they took this photo not because it represents Windrush but because this photo represents the power in family and the idea of hope. As the location is Waterloo Station, the photographer also spoke about the statue and photograph as representing travel and freedom, “there’s a future, things will be better, let’s think together”. This statue was given as an example of how social monuments can be designed to create change. 

Credit: Elegant Favour 

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Caption: The viewers are seeing someone’s private house where they have voiced their support for helping families in Gaza. This shows that their freedom of speech is being expressed without any limitation. However, people in temporary accommodation may be limited to do so cause their contract may be against displaying any political concerns.    

 

Additional information: The photographer shared multiple reasons for taking this photo. One being the ‘Help Families in Gaza’ poster as advocating for social justice for Palestinian people and highlighting immigration issues in the UK. The second reason being that, to the photographer, the poster indicated the residents’ housing situation. The photographer reflected on the fact that as they have lived in various temporary accommodations for the past 10 years, they have been unable to express their social or political views on their doorstep and feels this has limited their freedom to participate in social and political activism. The photographer felt this photograph was best described as an issue of power. 

Credit: Julius Amadi 

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Caption:  

• Public Space – "busy chaos in a place of silence"  

• Culture 

• Christmas and festive periods – "The meeting point” 

• Drinks 

• Game for youth – "Speakers column for Youth” 

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Additional information: The photographer spoke about Brixton being awake all the time, always busy and a multicultural hub. The tree and surrounding area in this photograph were described to host all kinds of people of all ages, cultures and walks of life, including those usually socially excluded such as people with mental illness. In talking about this area, the photographer said, “every nation is here, in a little multicultural nation called Brixton”. The group agreed that there is a need for more inclusive spaces like this for diverse groups of people to come together. ​

Credit: CW 

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Caption: None 

 

Additional information: The photo shows a tent belonging to a homeless person. The group discussed complexities around being homeless including issues of safety, theft and turf wars. The group also spoke about the various reasons for being homeless such as rises in the cost of living, but also ideas around breakdowns of family relationships, trauma and more contemporary societal ideas around not wanting to live in a home and wanting to live outside. Housing insecurity was viewed as an important issue by many group members. 

Credit: Angami 

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Caption: A one stop hub/place which offers local info and access to the outside world through books and free internet access, a place where the community can come together through social groups and hobbies. 
 

Additional information: The library seen in this photo was described by the photographer as welcoming, accommodating and open to all. It was also described as a place to access knowledge and education and an essential community space. The group expressed the many ways the library, and librarians, have supported them in the past (e.g., with sending correspondence, improving digital literacy and hosting kids classes) and that every effort should be made to keep libraries up and running in local communities. 

Credit: Spawill 

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Caption: Incorporating financial education in schools as part of curriculum to build better/stronger community security and family security 

 

Additional information: This photo opened up a discussion in the group around the important of support that comes from within the family or local community. The photographer and group members felt that it was important to empower individuals from a young age, such as with financial education, so that they are able to support their family network and build connections with their neighbourhood based on helping and supporting each other rather than relying on external government bodies. 

Credit: Vanessa Fabz 

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Caption: A flat that is considered dangerous but a home to many. 

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Additional information: The photographer spoke about how when they moved into this building at a young age, they remember feeling intimidated and scared by its appearance and where it was located (Peckham). However, the building and Peckham as a whole, ended up becoming home. The windows pictured here provided a sense of safety and a way out from difficult things at home - “it’s not just this”.

 

The photographer explained that they felt more accepted walking around Peckham due to the number of Black people and predominance of Black culture in the area. They talked about how they often heard buildings like the one pictured and Peckham as a whole being labelled as “ghetto”. They challenged this and highlighted the fact that to many, and in particular black people, this is home and that they believe the label “ghetto” is only attached because these places are predominantly home to black people. 

 

The photographer also spoke about how this block of flats is due to be demolished by 2027 due to fire safety concerns but that this has meant people have been forced out of the building abruptly and with little consideration of their welfare. 

Credit: Olamide 

 

Caption:  None

 

Additional information: This photographs shows a young black woman on a swing. The photographer spoke about how, a lot of the time, violence against women and girls happens in spaces that should be safe, like a local park. The photographer talked about the effects of this on mental health as consequences of feeling constantly on edge and concerned for their safety. The woman in the photo is on a swing to represent being in touch with her childhood self and reflecting on the fact that black girls are often forced to grow up ahead of their time, particularly in relation to issues of violence. 

Credit: Zyn 

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Caption:

• To show the rich knowledge of resources from old London which has made the tourist new London 

• The empowerment of vocational crafts from the time where there is no technology 

• It is free and eye-catching to all ages to learn 

• More to learn from the building and the crafts trade 

• Source of employment/income and poverty alleviation 

 

Additional information: The photographer spoke about the importance of being able to share and pass on historical knowledge to children and future generations. The fact that the Imperial War Museum is free also highlighted as important as participants felt there are fewer and fewer free activities for families in Southwark/Lambeth.