We partnered with Surrey Square Primary School on this special artistic showcase.
Meet the photographers, Olami & Salifu.
We asked “what words they would use to describe how Mentivity work, what we stand for, and what we do?”.
“Light in a Dark Room”
Unfortunately, many young people across London, the UK, and the world see life as a darkroom and as a result, they lack aspirations. This is where Mentivity comes in - our ‘Raising Aspirations’ project is purpose-built to do exactly what it says on the tin, and by doing so, shining a light in that aforementioned dark room.
“Better Decisions”
For us, if you can focus on making more right than wrong decisions, you will be in a strong position in life - these decisions could be small or large, everything has a knock-on effect - sometimes the effect won’t be instant...
As you can see, one of our young people chooses water and the other cola - the one who made the 'better decision' is healthier and happier come the end of the sequence.
“Community”
Community is something that is at the heart of both Mentivity and also Surrey Square primary school; at Surrey Square, everyone, children, young people and adults alike are encouraged to share a freshly prepared meal and to talk - this is community.
“Core Values”
Similarly to respect, other core values are the foundations of a good person, and in turn, of success. In this series of images, you will see the core values: perseverance, respect, enjoyment, love and fun written on the floor - the young people were given ‘money’, and were asked to place their currency on whatever word they ‘valued’ the most; the message is clear - love conquers
all.
“Respect”
An essential pillar in all positive individuals' lives is respect, and for that reason, it is the foundation of our work at Mentivity - we will show the level of respect we expect in return. This is important. What better way to show that respect is a two way street and that it doesn’t discriminate against age than a handshake between a young person and an adult. A powerful showing.
“Excellence”
Excellence is a lifestyle - you live and breathe it; excellence is how you prepare, how you wake up, how you communicate, how you envisage, how you apply yourself, and so on - this is what we instil within all of our young people.
For us, all young people are trophies, and trophies display excellence.
“Fun”
Mentivity means ‘mentoring through activity’, so understandably, ‘fun’ is an integral part of our programmes, but not just for the sake of it; we teach through fun and the young people learn this way. Combining passion and education is powerful.
“Responsibility”
One of the many things Surrey Square does well is to give their young people responsibility - whether that be walking the school dog, handing out the salad to their peers, or cleaning the tables down.
Even though cleaning may seem boring, others benefit from this, as you can see in the images; we can all learn from this - sometimes our sacrifices can make the days of others.
Selfless acts are important.
“Perseverance”
Life is life - complications will arise and there will be moments when you feel like giving up - it is, in these moments, where you must be strong, to show resilience and to preserve - this message is central to all teachings that take place at Mentivity.
Showing Olami and Salifu persevering with their photography seems the perfect place to end this special exhibition.
Support our work.
Weʼre raising £30,000 to run sessions at our Mentivity Community Hub, provide support for young people at the Mentivity Youth Club on the Aylesbury Estate, Southwark.