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."
The initiative ties in with the aims of Young People Now's own Positive Images campaign, which highlights how young people are often unfairly portrayed negatively in the media. It found that more than one in three stories about young people were about crime and nearly three out of four showed them in a negative light.
"There are too many stories about young people being barred from shopping centres and not enough about the good stuff they do," says Stannett. "We wanted Snapshot of Young Britain to give a more realistic portrayal of them."
All photos will be displayed on the web site www.snapshotofyoungbritain.co.uk from 23 March.
1. RANJIT SINGH BACHU 14, FROM CHARLTON
"We all love Positive Futures round our way - we're all down here every week. We get to train and play football with our mates, and then go and play against other areas. It's quality. This photo shows what we actually do, not what people think we do."
2. ASHLEY CAWDRON, 15, FROM SUFFOLK
"I took this photo at the England versus France boxing tournament at Waveney Sports Centre. The picture is of Carly Ogogo, who is the sister of World Cadet Champion Anthony Ogogo. She had just won her fight and is holding her winner's trophy."
3. REECE COLLINS, 12, FROM KEIGHLEY
"The photo shows my mate Moz changing a tyre. It's part of what we learn at the Motor Education Project. I hope one day I'll be able to use what I'm learning and get a job in a garage."
4. RHYS MANLEY, 13, FROM TRELYA POSITIVE FUTURES PROJECT (NEAR PENZANCE)
"I took this photo of my friend skateboarding. Me and my mates go to the skatepark at Mount Hawke with Positive Futures every fortnight. We spend hours on the ramps. The skateboarding keeps us really fit. I enjoy learning new stuff and having fun with my mates doing something positive."
5. GARETH MEREDITH, 15, FROM BRIDGEND, SOUTH WALES
"My photo shows me during a reiki session. There was a group of 15 young people who attended this workshop and we all received reiki in between making a wooden rocking chair and clay tiles. The reiki was weird - it made me feel tired and relaxed later. I felt the power within me."
6. MARIO SOLARI, 18, FROM LEYTON ORIENT POSITIVE FUTURES PROJECT
"The photo represents many things. It shows the place where I have fun and keep fit. But, more importantly, it is where I meet my mates, some of whom I only see once a week."
