LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY USA
100CAMERAS X WILLIAM WELLS BROWN COMMUNITY CENTER
MADE POSSIBLE BY FRAMEBRIDGE
100cameras X WWBCC is a part of a 8 class course that is custom designed by 100cameras to equip passionate creatives with the tools to empower youth in a community they care about with the opportunity to learn how to process their stories and create change. Pictured here is a 100cameras student during the course. This program was made possible by Framebridge.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
100cameras x The William Wells Brown Community Center took place in Lexington, KY in partnership with WWBCC which is located within the William Wells Brown Elementary School and part of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, Parks and Recreation. WWBCC provides an array of fun educational and recreational activities for inner city youth and adults with the leading goals being to create a safe environment where youth can be creative, build relationships, and stay physically fit and healthy.
The youth that the center works alongside experience barriers daily such as some socio-economic, school engagement, or learning disabilities among others. WWBCC provides several fun educational activities for the whole family. The youth participants are 10-14 years old and live in the east end area. While several of them have experienced such barriers, they are always eager to come to the Center to have fun in a safe environment and to learn in the process.
“Being exposed to a positive atmosphere helps our youth overcome a lot of barriers they are facing every day. This program is starting to plant a lot of seeds of knowledge which will lead to a brighter future for our participants. I feel growth came with all the students who completed. I could see how they were eager to keep learning more.”
WWBCC Director, Jill Wilson, reflects, “I feel this curriculum exposed the students to something new, innovative, and rewarding. The participants stated they did not have a digital camera or had never used one, and so this new experience was good for them. Seeing them process the knowledge and materials that were presented was a joy for them, and they were eager to keep learning more. Sharing their stories was an awesome experience for them as well. We taught them that everyone is important and has a different view on how they see life and that their story is important! Learning about the world of digital cameras, telling their stories of who they are and where they come from, and writing in journals has shown great expression of joy to our youth.”
“I have seen the entire group become alive with this program. The conversations during and after the workshops have been all positive, everyone is excited about moving forward.
The students here will enhance their self esteem just knowing they are a part of this program. Just learning how to work the cameras was fun and has given the club members a sense of pride knowing they can work their cameras and are still learning more new techniques to use in the future. ”
MEET THE STUDENTS
“I like how we were able to take pictures in the community and were able to express ourselves with pictures. The photo walks were my favorite activities.”
ABOUT THE PROGRAM LEADER
Jill Chenault Wilson has been the Community Center Director since the facility was built in 2008. With many talents of coordinating programs for young people and their families, serving the community is her main goal and providing services to the entire family has been a passion of hers since the center opened. Jill and the center have received several community and state level awards and recognitions for the array of activities and programs provided to the community. Providing community partners and resources has been a big role in Jill’s leadership in the center, and the youth, teens, adults and seniors of the east end area are their biggest supporters.
As a former Track and Field Coach and mother of two adults, Jill feels developing a close network of people is very important where everyone respects each other and supports one another. She reflects, “Our youth are our future. So let’s all join in and create a safe, fun educational village providing tools of enrichment and cultural diversity for a better tomorrow.”
STUDENT IMAGE GALLERY
“I saw the camera club have so much fun on our photo walks especially when we went to the park in our neighborhood and they took pictures of the new playground that was just completed. It brought joy to their faces to be apart of the community and capturing the pictures was really awesome.
Several of our students helped design the new playground and assisted the Mayor in the ribbon cutting activities. They took pictures and felt so proud. Seeing them smile to me is such a joy.”
“Several of the students have become more open and are eager to learn more about the whole concept of photography. One of our girls was really quiet, and I took it upon myself to sit beside her during the powerpoint in the second lesson. At first she did not seem to care, but then as I started to let her know how proud I was of her being a part of our new program at WWBrown, she started to smile and began to be engaged in the activities. Later we all walked to the Isaac Murphy Garden to take pictures of this historical site in our community.
This student was the first to get in line and take pictures with her camera. The day was a success. Everyone left with smiles on their faces.”
Follow us on social media to see images from the field as captured by the 100cameras X WWBCC team and the student photographers. Thank you to Framebridge for making this program possible!