This is where you start
Our profile of four Londoners whose prospects hang in the balance.
“This is the world as it is. This is where you start”
Saul Alinsky, the founding father of community organising.
Alinsky’s words speak to the heart of Year Here. Listening to and learning from those at the frontline of inequality is always our first step.
Fahmida wants to go to university but few students with her postcode manage to. Sam is desperate to move out of temporary housing but feasible options are few and far between. Retired plumber Ron is a full time carer and wants to keep his frail wife at home — but life is getting harder and he’s struggling to cope.
Life chances, security, health and happiness: they’re all hanging in the balance for these four Londoners. The system around them can seem clumsy, inhumane and rigged against them. One small slip could be catastrophic; one step forward, two steps back.
We commissioned this film because we wanted to give people a glimpse of the realities faced by some of the people that our Fellows work with across London.
The film was made by Archers Mark, who directed the award-winning Next Goal Wins documentary, chronicling the American Samoan football team’s efforts to recover from the indignity of being known as one of the worst teams in the world.
Miranda and Francis
“I asked him if I could tell his story because it is beautiful and inspiring one. He has transcended all the difficulties of being a person with learning difficulties and tackled more life barriers than anyone should have to through kindness, perseverance and the support of the communities who gave him a place and a purpose.”
Dami and Fahmida
“Fahmida lives with her mum in Poplar, which lies in the inescapable shadow of Canary Wharf, that monolith of financial abundance. Every story of personal triumph from this area is one worth sharing and celebrating. Whether it is a student who spends weeks coming to school hungry and tired but is still seeing an improvement in their science grades, or a student with behavioural issues caused by their chaotic home environment finally taking tangible steps towards improving their performance.”
Sam and Sam
The resentment, the impatience, is there in Sam’s voice. It’s in his hunched shoulders, his quick pace as he bounds about the hostel’s crumbling hallways. Hostels shouldn’t be a long-term plan he says; it should be “short term, back to the real world”. But it rarely works out that way.
Sneh and Ron
“Patricia’s health restricts her mobility and she is at risk of being socially isolated. But with Ron’s love and care, she has support and company. With the attendance allowance, they can make ends meet and Patricia can stay at home. Life isn’t easy but they are happy to be together.”
