Forever Young's art workshops for the elderly and book

In 2018, ourppls had the honour of programming a series of creative workshops and a book for Hackney-based elders group ‘Forever Young’.

Loneliness affects over 940,000 older people (65+) in the UK, and for ethnic minority elders, that number is twice as high. Recognised by the World Health Organisation as a public health issue,  Forever Young, a Black-led, volunteer-driven organisation, was instrumental in building community and connection for elders across Hackney.

Therefore, it was our pleasure to engage the elders in a series of photography, painting, and storytelling workshops, culminating in a beautiful book that celebrated their stories, creativity, and joy.

We worked with artist and photographer Laho Jebak to deliver a painting and photography workshop that saw portraits of the elders beautifully overlaid onto their own artworks. Through creativity and conversation, the sessions provided moments of self-expression, reflection, connection and belonging.

During the workshop, we also spoke with the elders about their journeys to the UK and the wisdom they wished to share with future generations. We then turned their reflections into a book, which today captures the legacy of the members who are no longer with us.

The book is now available to read and download via our website here