Reclaim

The RECLAIM! exhibition features the work of teenagers mostly excluded from mainstream education who are now attending the Young College at Southgate College. Funded by Connexions North London, the project came about in response to poet Evlynn Sharp’s work with prisoners at HMP Belmarsh. Through their writing, the men hoped to deter young people from the path of offending.
Over four days, the lively and imaginative group was guided by professional writers, Evlynn and Kathrine Smith with artists, Emily Allchurch and Ashen Venema, and sound recordist, Jody Moller, to produce their own pieces of work. Culminating in a published anthology, a DVD created by Melanie Clifford, and this exhibition, the teenagers’ poetry and art not only take us into the world behind their masks but reveal their hopes for the future.