Be Inspired: the photo exhibition at a Brixton gallery next week features Croydon young people who have been helped through the work of the community group. All photos: Aneesa Dawoojee and courtesy of Be Inspired and Photofusion
Croydon-based youth organisation Be Inspired and some of the young people it has helped are the subject of a powerful photographic exhibition to be held at a Brixton art gallery next week.
“Despite Everything: Finding Purpose” has been curated in collaboration with award-winning photographer Aneesa Dawoojee and takes place at the Photofusion Gallery next Thursday, November 27.
The exhibition “celebrates the resilience and potential of young people in Croydon”.
Be Inspired works to help young people at risk of serious youth violence, exploitation and gangs through mentoring, therapy, education, sport and creative programmes.
Legacy: Adam Ballard
The photo exhibition honours the legacy of Adam Ballard, who co-founded Be Inspired and whose vision and compassion shaped Be Inspired’s work. Ballard died suddenly earlier this year.
The photographs have been taken by London-based Dawoojee FRPS whose portrait and documentary work explores strength, heritage and resilience. Her work has been exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery, featured by the BBC and 1854 Photography, and recognised by the Royal Photographic Society.
She said: “I’ve spent years documenting people who quietly hold up entire communities, and Adam was one of them, driven by a powerful purpose to help any young person.
“For those who felt unseen, he made them visible, valuable and happy. These portraits celebrate the love, friendship and hope that define Be Inspired and honour Adam’s legacy in the community that shaped us both.”
All of the young people featured in the “Despite Everything: Finding Purpose” portraits have been through the Be Inspired programme and were personally supported by Ballard. Several of them will attend the launch to share their stories in person.
Fighting chance: Be Inspired’s work began in a Norbury boxing gym with Gloves Not Gunz
“This exhibition shows the strength and soul of Croydon,” said Ben Eckett, co-founder of Be Inspired. “It’s about young people choosing hope, and about Adam’s belief that lasting change comes from long-term relationships built on trust and creativity.
“Aneesa’s images have helped us tell that story with beauty and truth.”
Alongside the portraits, the launch evening next Thursday (from 5pm to 9pm) will include the premiere of a short film capturing Be Inspired’s work in the past year, since Ballard’s death, including fundraising efforts such as the Quadrathlon Challenge, and powerful testimonies from the young people who have benefited from his work.
- The Photofusion Gallery is at Unit 2, 2 Beehive Place, London SW9 7QR. Admission to the exhibition is free
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