Graffiti is an art form that can help ex-offenders turn their lives around, participants at an art workshop learned yesterday.
About 20 teenagers and young adults received professional training in the art during the Sha Tin event, taught by two established graffiti artists from France.
'Graffiti art is very much like [young ex-offenders],' said Gloria Yuen Sin-nga, planning and development manager for the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention.
'Graffiti was first considered just street pictures with not much value. But when given the attention and opportunity, it flourished into a unique form of art.
'For ex-offenders, it's the same - if they are given the opportunity and encouragement, they can flourish and become even better people.'
Among the participants were 10 ex-offenders who have had counselling through the society, while the rest were mainly secondary students.
Under the guidance of French artists Ceet and Kongo, they completed a 10-metre-long work with the theme 'One Love'.
