Author Description

How does hope manifest itself for young people on the margins of society? In this book young people talk about their hopes and fears for the future - the possibility of leading a full life. They illustrate those hopes and fears in images and drawings of people and places meaningful to them. We learn that they are both typical of young people everywhere - desiring love, family, the prospect of work - yet different in that achieving those aims may involve pathways of proscribed, even criminal, behaviours. Through these moving, often raw, stories and images, we gain insights into the everyday and imaginary worlds of marginalised young people. We also hear from their teachers and others who work with them attempting to build lost relationships and trust. The members of the research team who worked with these people also contribute their thoughts, arguing that a truly sustainable society is not possible until the thoughts and opinions of all are taken into account.