November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"I started smoking weed at a young age, I fell into the wrong group of friends, started committing offences, robbing motorbikes and sheds. I then got into harder drugs - speed, coke then the new drug methadrone came out, I would go on binges where I didn’t eat or sleep for days, even weeks sometimes. I was even paranoid to leave the house. A driving offence led me to being put on tag and working with probation, having regular meetings and weekly drug testing.

I then signed up for Tomorrow’s People. I found it hard at first but they made me feel very welcome, they always had time for me, helped me in whatever way they could, they would praise me on a weekly basis for staying off the drugs and being a better person. I made some new friends there and finally cut myself off from the negative people in my life.

I am now volunteering for the British Heart Foundation, I’m really enjoying it, I feel such a better person. My next step will be to secure a paid job. I want to become a mentor because I feel I can relate to and support people with similar experiences and make them realise that it’s not the way forward taking drugs and they don’t have to carry on having an addiction - there is support and help out there, you just have to take the first step. I have changed my life around and it’s a much better life. I want to help others get though their hard times in life I guess."

I photographed an amazing guy called Devin in Lowestoft who has the most incredible but sad stories. Devin has had support from the charity, Tomorrow's People for 2 months now and has completely turned his life around. I shot him in the alley way behind the house he grew up in. Devin thought I was such a weirdo because I liked the washing lines so much. When the shoot finished he went and told his mum that I had taken pictures of the washing lines and he thought it was because I didn't have any where I was from.

Tomorrow's People - Donna // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"My deafness was found when I first started pre-school - I was diagnosed as profoundly deaf and told there was nothing they could do for me. I was fitted with two hearing aids and then I had to attend a school for the deaf. As I was growing up with my brothers and sisters, I felt like an outsider because I went to a different school. I lacked confidence in myself, I always thought people where looking at me because I was deaf. Throughout my life I have been discriminated against, one of my past employers told me that ‘if I had know your hearing was so bad, I wouldn’t have employed you’.

When my marriage broken down six years ago my confidence was knocked right down once again and I felt very lonely. Thankfully I have my daughter but I went through a bad time with her a couple of years ago and she went back to live with her dad in Manchester. I still have days where I break down crying as I miss her so much. Pain is hard to explain, it’s not been easy for me.

When I found out about Hearing Dogs for the Deaf I got in touch with them and I was matched with Kizzy in 2011; she has done wonders for my self-esteem. I couldn’t imagine life without her; she makes me so happy. Every morning I look forward to starting our day together, she jumps on my bed and touches me with her paw when my alarm clock goes off. She is the first best friend I have ever had in my life.

Last year I decided to do something with my life because it felt empty without my daughter. I was put in touch with Tomorrow’s People who helped me to get on different training courses that have got me where I am now volunteering for the Stroke Association as a Communications Support Volunteer. I also do presentations and talks on the Deaf Association’s Hearing Dog Programme. Tomorrow’s People have helped me a great deal. I have now got a new life with an amazing boyfriend and his family too. I am very happy that my life has turned around."

Tomorrow's People - Alex // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"I was just a normal teenager, got home from school, had tea and played on Xbox. My mum, who suffers from epilepsy, had fits which sometimes happened 5 or 6 times a day, it confused me, I didn’t know what was going on, I started to get used to it but it was frustrating. It had an impact on school but I still went and carried on with life. Mum had a really bad psychosis fit on the morning of my English GCSE exam, in the state of her fit she thought I was a burglar and attacked me. When her fits happen she forgets who everyone is and doesn’t understand what’s going on around her. When she came round and I told her what she did, she broke down crying and apologizing.

It was at that point that my dad and me knew it wasn’t safe to stay at home. We were living on edge, worried about what she was going to do next. We had to leave the family house and became homeless, and have been living in our car since. Being homeless is miserable and depressing and boring and it’s so cold. I’m used to it, I suppose it could be worse; it’s just the way things are. It’s my strong relationship with my dad that helps me through it. We’ve helped each other.

Tomorrow’s People were the first organisation who had time to listen to me, they are always happy to talk. They helped me to forget what happened, they keep me busy doing projects, it’s helpful to get out so I don’t think about things. I would be in a different place if it weren’t for them. When I met my coach I felt like I found a mate who was happy to help, I started feeling more happy and confident, I trusted him.

Me and my dad are looking for a house now with the help of the council who have given us a bond. I’m most looking forward to having somewhere to live. We’ve had family and friends who are supportive to us, they helped us if we didn’t have any food, they would take us out or cook for us and they would give us somewhere to wash.

I believe that with my engineering course going well hopefully in the future I will be working offshore, just anywhere to stay out of Lowestoft, I don’t mind Lowestoft but it’s hard to get a job round here."

Tomorrow's People - Kirstie // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"When I was four I had complicated surgery to remove a life threatening brain tumour due to my epilepsy. The doctors said this would come at a risk and following the operation I was left with severe learning disabilities. The doctor's told my family that I would be dependent on carers my whole life and that I wouldn’t be able to drive, go to school, or work. I proved them wrong, I can do all those things, I’ve even moved out of my family home and into supported accommodation. The next big thing I wanted for total independence was to get into full time employment.

I went to so many different organisations and none of them really understood me and my needs. They all discriminated against me and didn’t speak to me with respect. It shattered my confidence. The problem with society now is people just judge. I was treated like a number. I’m writing to the government to make things better for myself and for other people in similar situations to me. I want them to acknowledge that they put me at great health risk - because of the way I was treated I became depressed and anxious. I felt I couldn’t trust anyone.

Tomorrow’s People helped me and supported me without judging. They were so patient and kind to me and didn’t put me under any pressure. My life turned around when I met them. I had so much encouragement and support from them. It’s nice to be around people who accept me for who I am. I was suicidal before; I’d faced rejection so many times that I’d begun to accept it as the only possibility. The staff at Tomorrow’s People realised it might take me a bit longer to do things but they didn't write me off. It was a relief to find someone who believed in me.

Now I wake up in the morning and feel healthy and happy. I’m doing a dream job working with animals at Green World Garden Centre. Animals make me so happy and make me feel cared for and loved. I have a purpose in life. I think if you stand up and fight for what is right, you can achieve anything."

Tomorrow's People - Chelsea // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"I’ve been through a lot in my life, I’ve still managed to come so far and achieve things even though I might not have had the best time. My coach told me to ‘never give up, never loose hope, keep trying and never give up the goal you’re working towards.’

My mum was an alcoholic; she went into rehab for a year and a half when I was 12. I didn’t have a permanent home, me and my siblings were always moving around. You never know what’s going to happen around the corner. You can’t always know what the future is going to bring for you. My mum and me went through a bad time, we would always fight. She would get drunk and pass out and I would look after my brothers and sisters, it’s a big responsibility but sometimes people have to take things on, sometimes people don’t have a perfect upbringing. These things make you grow into the person you are. I know how to be independent, the things I went through took away my childhood because I was acting like an adult.

Tomorrow’s People were working with my school, I was supposed to get kicked out and they challenged my coach to get me back on track and he did; since our first meeting, coach has made me a better person, I’m not so violent and angry now. Coach has made me come so far, he gave me encouragement and it made me feel more confident. I’m determined to stay off benefits; it makes me feel like I’ve done nothing with my life even though I have. I want to have my own hairdressing business, that’s my dream. I’m 18, it’s my life and I can choose what I want to do with it now."

Portrait // Chelsea, London Fields, London. 18.

Tomorrow's People - Paul // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"I've done so many bad things in my past. I’ve wasted three quarters of my life locked away in prisons or mental health hospitals. I was a problem child, I was always running away, going missing, they wouldn’t even know if I was in prison half the time. Many hazed LSD years passed me by only to be replaced by many more years of heavy alcohol abuse. Prisons and mental hospitals are full of people such as myself who couldn't get a fair deal. If I had stayed in Liverpool I would have been dead years ago. Just to be sitting here is an achievement. I came here to Kent to get away from it all. In rehab I hooked up with a girl more than half my age. No it was not love. The only good thing that came out of this was two wonderful kiddos. I have loved Aston and Lola from their first breaths for air.

A few years ago false allegations were made against me that I assaulted my daughter. I'm restrained from seeing or talking to my daughter for something l did not do. Life means little to me without her. I didn't know where to turn for help. I didn't feel I could trust anyone to treat me fairly. Tomorrow's People stepped in and helped me find support for my mental health issues and helped me to apply for legal aid. I now have a strong chance to get all my concerns put before a court for resolution. Tomorrow’s People put everything in place to save my life, getting me back on the right track again.

Since working with Tomorrow's People, I have become the caretaker of the local church, worked to set up and run a community allotment, and have started volunteering as a driver for Age UK. I'm doing things that, given my history, I never thought I'd be able to do."

Tomorrow's People - Hayley // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"I’m not just a number. I’m a mother. I’m a trainer. I’m a dedicated worker. My dream is to create a better life for my kids. I had been with another agency looking for work; to them I was a number. Whereas Tomorrow’s People were interested in me, they cared, it made me feel good! It was ‘let’s get your confidence up, let’s get your CV ready’. I’d been working since I was about 15. I got pregnant when I was 21. I had two babies in just over a year, and a few years break from work. That’s when I went to Tomorrow’s People. They were very good, they cared about us. Because the group was so small, they had time to get to know us and find out what we wanted individually.

I started a cleaning job that I could fit around the children. It felt good to be back at work, to have that independence, to say I had money in my pocket. Anne, who’s the Training Director for the London Cleaning Academy, saw something in me, she gave me the chance to become a trainer. The first time I did a training session was terrifying, I was sweating and shaking, but my confidence grew, and now I hold training sessions for 30 people, all the different personalities - the loud ones, the quiet ones. It’s nice to wake up and know that today I could get one person back into work. The opportunity that Anne and Tomorrow’s People gave me, I can give someone else.

My dream is to make a better life for my children. And now I can see that better future. I’ve got a job, I’m on that career ladder and the only way is up."

Portrait // Hayley, Brixton, London. 27.

Tomorrow's People - Chris // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

“I became involved in a gang as a form of protection in the early 90’s. We didn’t call ourselves a gang but rather a group that would stick together when roaming outside of our community because of the racial attacks we faced from our white counterparts. This unity quickly turned to organisation by our early teens and with no hope of employment by what we saw as a racist, predominantly white work force, we turned to crime in order to generate money. Older peers exploited our naivety and so my life of crime escalated and opened doors to mass drug and violence problems.

I believe that people are drawn to gang life most commonly to have a sense of family, or a need for money and a desire for protection. Other reasons can involve fear, peer pressure, poverty, a family history tradition or just excitement. I believe in the main it’s down to a lack of identity and love, mostly caused by absent fathers.

If I had a chance I would tell my younger self – ‘There is a better life out there for you’. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to exit ‘gang life’ as I had children and wanted to be a role model in their life. I also saw the younger generation becoming worse than we ever were at their age and I decided to use my negative experiences to help others avoid making the same mistakes. I’ve successfully turned my life around and hope I can serve as an example to others to do the same.

Today I am part of a team of 12 people that work for a company called ‘The Bristol Life Centre’. Bristol Life Centre is open to 16-24 year olds, based in Bristol. We aim to help young people who have had an disadvantaged upbringing, including those who’ve been to prison, who are in trouble with the police, excluded from school or who are NEET. My main role is as a mentor and motivator, helping the young people we work to see that there is another way of life they can choose. We enable them to make better life choices and break away from their current negative choices. We help the young people understand their own potential and that there is another way of life they can choose.

We inform young people of the career and education opportunities available and support them to progress and fulfil their aspirations. We also enable them to explore particular aspects of their life through project-based activity such as photography, film and music. We hope in the next 2yrs to have our own office building and to secure more funding to enable us to do more work out on the streets, in homes, prisons, schools and around the community.

Tomorrow’s People have been a pillar of support, I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Tomorrow’s People helped me to set and achieve realistic goals. They helped me with my finances and budgeting strategies, as well as offering a listening ear when things didn’t go as planned. I would recommend to anyone who has been struggling to find work, no matter from what walk of life, to get in touch with this life-changing organisation.”

"I feel so uncomfortable in front of the camera, I've spent my whole life avoiding them. Where I'm from, smiling and shyness is seen as a weakness."

Tomorrow's People - Jessie // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"When my mum and dad broke up it was hard for me, I didn't know what to do with myself. I was living with my dad, brother and sisters when my mum left, I admit now I went down the wrong path, I never worked, never went to school, none of that, doing stuff I now regret.

I had to step into the mum role. My younger brothers and sisters didn’t have any older women in their life as an influence apart from me and my sister Connie; they looked up to us. It was unexpected when mum left; I knew mum and dad were fighting, I didn’t know stuff was that serious but one thing led to another. All the stress at home made me feel alone, I had no one to talk to but I had to stay strong for my family. It’s made me stronger and wiser learning not to depend on anyone, people can walk in and out of your life in a matter of minutes. You can sit moping around but you have to think forward to the brighter future. Things happen and you have to get on with it.

I was given an opportunity to change when I met my boyfriend and got a place on Tomorrow's People. I got myself a job, got some great experiences and a lot of confidence about working life, I'm now about to move far away from where I live into a new house with my dad and family I can't wait to go and have a fresh start."

Portrait // Jessie, Dagenham, Essex. 17.

Tomorrow's People - Priscilla // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"I got kicked out of school and I had to stay at home for a long time which meant I spent a lot of time with my family. My mum would always be getting on to me about different things. I was always being compared to my older brothers and sisters - who were doing great at school and at uni and I felt like everyone was against me. I was really angry about a lot of things, I needed help and I knew it, which is why I agreed to work with Tomorrow’s People.

I changed schools which was a distraction and something to look forward to instead of always going home and arguing with my family. If you focus on school or focus on something you enjoy, in the future it will benefit you and your life. I’m much happier now I’ve started doing art and focusing on it much more than everything else. I’ve made mistakes but maybe if I had listened to my mum more and if I didn’t get myself into all the drama of secondary school then I wouldn’t of had so many problems with my family.

I would most like to do something in fashion design and marketing and I think that if I keep working hard enough I could be really successful. I want to be independent and make my own money and earn my own house. I would like to go to uni, all my siblings have done it and have been successful. I’m much more confident now and much more mature. I can speak out more instead of bottling it in and this gets the problem out the way. I couldn’t even talk to my friends about my problems, I felt like I could talk to my coach more than my friends. Tomorrow's People have always given me opportunities, they always involved me in things and showed me that they really cared and because of that I am so grateful."

Portrait // Priscilla, Edmonton, London. 17.

Tomorrow's People - Aisha // / November 23, 2014 by sophie green

"Before Tomorrow’s People, I felt quite alone without anyone older to really talk to. I had a lot of problems at home where other people were involved. It made me feel worse as everything was kept quiet. I felt very angry and misunderstood and when there were incidents at school I realised that the problem had to be solved. It was hard for me to turn to anyone as I had spent so much time hiding and not showing the way I really felt inside, even with those closest to me.

I also felt frustrated as I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future and it felt like the time was nearing where I had to start thinking about that. As my family life wasn’t going too well, I couldn’t talk to my parents about it. It was a constant battle with them for me to do anything. Although honestly I could say that the biggest battle that I faced was with myself as I was blaming myself for many things from the past, and I could not seem to move on or find ways to solve it. I was depressed and it was even more frustrating that no one knew what was really going on with me, and even though I needed the help, I was very reluctant to get it. All the other organisations that I had been referred to had failed to help me and made me feel even worse about myself; so many strangers knew about my personal life but yet had not gotten to know the real Aisha.

However when I got involved with Tomorrow’s People, they gave me so many skills that I felt I was lacking in order to help me sort out my future. I feel like they have helped me to grow mentally and emotionally and they are helping me to become the woman that I want to be. For me the toughest conflict I had was with myself, I've learnt to accept myself for who I am but I have also learnt from my mistakes. I've come to terms with accepting that I have made wrong decisions but that I can move on and learn from them. There is always room for improvement as no one is perfect but I thank my coaches for given me the encouragement that I needed to keep growing and becoming a better person."

Portrait // Aisha, Homerton, London. 17.

Harley & Yuka // / October 23, 2014 by sophie green

Portraits of couple, Harley & Yuka at home.

Portrait Salon // / October 17, 2014 by sophie green

Very pleased to have my portrait of Lershard selected for this years Portrait Salon. First stop is Four Corners on November the 6th for the opening night.

Feature Shoot // / September 30, 2014 by sophie green

Feature Shoot did a write up on my 'I Am Sophie Green' project; http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/09/photographer-explores-identity-capturing-people-share-name/

A Day At The Races // / August 16, 2014 by sophie green

Rain, more rain, high people, drunk people, drum & bass, dodgy hair, flat caps, tattoos, gold chains, piercings, sun shine, tank tops, topless chests, slush puppies, hot dogs, chips, chicks, fast cars, pimped out cars, racer boy heaven. Snap snap snap, 14 rolls shot. Done - a day at the races. See the full series on my website.

Karlos // / August 11, 2014 by sophie green

I met Karlos at a bus stop. We shot around Ladbroke Grove over two evenings in the most beautiful sunlight ever. Here are some outtakes.

Marrakech Outtakes // / July 13, 2014 by sophie green

Check out the new series on ma website entitled 'Hot and Dusty'.

Prints // / June 9, 2014 by sophie green

Portrait // Jimmy, Tooting, London. / May 5, 2014 by sophie green

I came across a car garage in Tooting, where I met this Polish man called Jimmy. It took a while to persuade him to let me take his picture. Eventually he said yes. I was led up some stairs to the office situated on top of the garage. The 'office' was in fact a bright pink room with just a bed in it. A bit suspicious if you ask me. Jimmy kept posing provocatively in front of camera. He offered to take his clothes off. I was after an interesting portrait. I think Jimmy had a different agenda.

Portrait // Jimmy, Tooting, London, 2014.

Made in Tooting // / April 2, 2014 by sophie green

The boys at Treherne Court.

Portrait // Daniel, Tooting, London, 2014.