YMCA talent on show in Norwich exhibition
 From youngsters lined up with their saxophones to a concert in an historic Norwich church – photographs by young residents of YMCA Norfolk were on show in The Forum this summer.
The Festival Cities exhibition was the culmination of a three-month project where participants explored Norwich's cultural and architectural heritage as well as visiting the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
One of the people taking part was Simon Devine, pictured above, who is living in the YMCA in Norwich after he lost jobs in the catering industry.
One of his photographs sold for £25 and the money will go towards YMCA projects.
The 24-year-old said: "I have really enjoyed it. It has really blown out of proportion from when we first started. Somebody said there was a photographic course so I signed up and now we've got a full blown exhibition. It was really exciting being in The Forum. It was great fun to take pictures."
He said that he was now hoping to find a job in photography. "Photography is quite hard, but I've given it my best shot. This is brilliant. It's quite surreal being in The Forum."
Elli Chapman, director of Culture Works East, said that people on the course had gone on to find jobs or would continue with volunteering.
She said the professional photographers who had been on the course had said that they wished they had taken some of the pictures that the participants from the YMCA had captured.
"These people have quite chaotic lives. This is a really good example of a way of using art for engaging."
She said that many of the people taking part had not been to the Norfolk and Norwich Festival before. Each week of the project the people taking park have been doing workshops with Culture Works East and professional photographers, broadcast journalists, historians, international performers and sound designers.
More than 4,000 images and 15 hours of audio recording were created, some being sold to raise money for YMCA Norfolk.
Each participant gained professional experience, worked to deadlines and acted as a young ambassador as well as developing research, document handling and archive skills.
All the course participants had the opportunity to gain a Level 1 or 2 Arts Award and two have even secured part-time jobs through the course.
Pictured above is YMCA Norfolk resident, Simon Devine, being filmed, during the Festival Cities exhibition.
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