Big dipper, boxing and bikers in LA: Wembley to Soweto theguardian.com

After the success of projects at Arsenal FC and in Rio de Janeiro, the Wembley to Soweto Foundation has been to the US west coast, teaching photography to young people in Los Angeles

by Wembley to Soweto Foundation
Thu 6 Oct 2022 10.07 BST
Over the past 12 years, an extraordinary grassroots movement has been working alongside global sporting events such as the football, cricket and rugby union World Cups, the English Premier League and the Olympic Games.

Young ethnically diverse people from developing and developed countries have transformed themselves into professional photographers to record these festivals of sport within the context of their own lives and communities.

These young people are often from backgrounds of abject poverty, bypassed by formal education, employment opportunities, shelter and basic nourishment.

The catalyst has been an initiative called the Wembley to Soweto Foundation, which offers photography training and on-the-job learning and has fostered life skills that enable these young people to move forward and make a positive contribution to society. The global charity has sought to change the narrative of art accessibility, encouraging big dreams for creators of the future.

The foundation forms collaborative partnerships with artistic, sporting, and public institutions to allow for a broad range of vocational experiences as well as educational benefits for the wider community. It aims to create a global network of training opportunities for young people to nurture self-belief, ambition and confidence through a passion for photography – regardless of means and background. In LA, the project was run in partnership with From the Streets to the Set, Los Feliz Films, S.E.A. and Homies Unidos.