Posts Tagged ‘Youth photo’

In the beginning of September I posted a note about the youth photo initiative that I’ll be running in conjunction with the Calgary board of education and the Boys and Girls Club of Calgary..

The first few weeks have gone very well, and we’ve managed to select approximately ten students to complete the for-credit program. During the last class we discussed some of the current events that students felt strongly about, and in the end the group agreed to focus on the community of Bowness here in Calgary, which is an incredibly diverse and (dare I say) unique community. Given said diversity, this will prove to be an interesting project as time goes on!

With the help of Jim at The Camera Store, we sent requests to several camera manufacturers to sponsor the program with equipment.   Unfortunately the requests were not met favorably and as a result the school will have to purchase the cameras outright.  I’d really like to give a plug to The Camera Store and particularly Jim for being so supportive of Boys and Girls Club programs. They’ve helped on a few projects already and their commitment to helping the community should not go unnoticed!

I’ve sent the students out with the following homework and next week (if all goes according to plan) we should begin to actually work with cameras..

• (Current Events) Bring in 2 articles (or pieces of writing)
  • Be prepared to talk about what they mean to you.
• (Observation)Find two outside objects and visit them on at least four occasions in one day: Morning, Mid-Day, Evening (sunset), Night
• Record your observations
  • Shadows
  • Colours
  • Texture
  • Contrast

Now I’ll have to get myself out to do some homework too; I must admit, it’s kinda fun to be back in school!

I’ve been asked to build and deliver a 12-week photography training course for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary and the Calgary Board of Education, Start Outreach High School, and yesterday we had a very positive initial meeting to discuss the logistics of such a course.  Needless to say, I’m extremely excited by the possibilities this project will present over the coming months as both organizations are really open to new ideas and encouraging the students to explore.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary provide a dizzying array of programs for Calgary youth to provide them with a caring and safe environment in which they can grow and learn.  I’ve worked with them on a few different occasions and I’m chuffed to be working with them again!

Start Outreach provides high school students with a self-paced learning environment that allows them with the flexibility to complete their high school studies without the typical constraints of a traditional school. As we discussed their philosophies and learning structure I couldn’t help but think that I wish this sort of thing was around while I was still in school.   I’m really looking forward to working with them on this project as well!

The project itself is just in the planning stages at the moment so I’ll provide more detail on how the program will run later. It will be open to students at the Start Outreach High School in Bowness, with additional spots available to students at other CBE Outreach schools if we have space available.