An exhibition celebrating the work of a ground-breaking new local charity, Thriving Through Venture, opens on Wednesday December 5 at the White Horse Gallery in Marlborough, Wiltshire.
‘From Marlborough to Gunjur: Changing Young People’s Lives’ looks back on the first year of achievements by TTV, which was set up to help young people prepare for life beyond school. The exhibition includes stunning photographic portraits, heart-warming life stories and a local business study, reflecting the three main projects that TTV’s teenagers undertook in 2018.
TTV is the brainchild of Caro Strover, an educational psychologist from Ramsbury, who believes there is an urgent need to develop young people’s resilience and confidence as they prepare to take their places in the adult world. One in four teenagers in Britain is currently being referred to mental health services, fuelling fears of a ‘snowflake’ generation ill-equipped for the workplace.
“There’s a real need to help them at this critical time of their lives,” Caro says. “Our approach, which is a bit different, is to take young people out of their comfort zone in a controlled way and build up their resilience and confidence through purposeful projects. To help improve their wellbeing and give them a purpose in life within real life contexts and work, we encourage a sense of belonging and connectedness, both within their local community and abroad. An awareness of this sense of belonging and purpose is essential for good wellbeing.”
In August 2018, a group of ten young people travelled with TTV to Gunjur, in The Gambia, which is twinned with Marlborough in Wiltshire. They were drawn from a mixture of local state and private schools in Wiltshire and Swindon. The photography group, under the guidance of local fine art photographer Hilary Stock, took portraits of professionals in the Gunjur community, including a midwife and a bee keeper, matching them with equivalent portraits that they had taken in Marlborough.
For further info visit ttventure.org or call Caro Strover on 07973 185429.