Positive Futures: Young Britain in Pictures

To prove a point, young people taking part in the Home Office scheme Positive Futures were asked to simultaneously take a photo at 7pm on Wednesday 15 February to show the activities they were engaged in. More than 400 photos were taken for a Snapshot of Young Britain, showing young people in a variety of settings. The majority showed the teenagers doing mundane activities such as watching TV at home or hanging out with friends.

Gary Stannett, national strategy manager of Positive Futures, says the images help dispel the myth that young people spend their free time getting up to no good. "The photos show that on an average winter's evening young people across the UK are just doing their own thing," he says. "That could be learning to change a tyre, attending basketball practice or hanging out with their boyfriend or girlfriend. This is not what the media would have you believe."