IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“In a school like ours, kids don’t always get wins. They are often easily defeated. I was excited to see how students enjoyed learning the new tools and putting them into practice while taking their photos.

In comparing many of the students’ Pre and Post Course Survey responses, some of them expressed an increase in confidence in sharing their personal stories. They took pride in their participation, often volunteering to take pictures in their academic classes to eventually share them with their teachers. This experience has given students at Price a new way to express themselves.”

“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.”

“I’ve learned that not every picture has to be perfect to be beautiful. And to just enjoy your surroundings and to just enjoy taking pictures, and it doesn’t have to be stressful. It can just be fun and creative.

I’ve learned that telling my own story through photographs doesn’t have to be what other people want, doesn’t have to be perfect. It can just be what I like and what I think tells about me and my life. I learned that I really do like taking photos. I think a photograph I think that could represent myself is a flower beginning to bloom because that just shows me growing up and I can still rise and learn new things.”

“I know that this program is something completely out of their comfort zone, and they have learned to adjust to the process. Each week I see them grow and understand the value of the program however they do not know they are growing. During the time when I reflect on the students after class, I am grateful that they have been given this opportunity and I am a part of it. I know they can see the value of their work and understanding of the material every time a picture is shown and they explain it, using the terms that they have learned.

This unique group of students will take this with them and use it. When you expose children to things they may not have had the opportunity to - anything is possible. The world is theirs; they just need to know what options they have. The more introductions to different opportunities early can change the direction of a child’s life, break the cycle of a family and change the outcome of the world.”

“Creative exploration is a cathartic means of self care and healing. Particularly emerging from the pandemic, it was powerful to observe youth discover the value of photography as a way to consider their environment and share experiences and stories that are important to them.”

“My favorite technique is leading lines, it’s pretty interesting. The way the lines can show you different parts of the photo. To be creative means to step outside your comfort zone, think outside of the box, and do things that you normally wouldn’t have done.

I’ve learned that there’s not one way to demonstrate your feelings, you could use photos to express your feelings. Photos can express feelings by let’s say the sky is dark. It could mean a bunch of stuff. Like it could mean that there’s something sad going on maybe in the world, or it could just mean it’s just a bad day. You never really know - you have to interpret it the way you want to interpret it.”

“I have seen the entire group become alive with this program. 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. ”

“Our vision for bringing the 100cameras program was to further provide our participants with a diverse enrichment program geared to encouraging imagination and community engagement through visual arts. Utilizing photography as a tool to process and tell their stories cultivated our participant’s imaginations seeing themselves as individuals, leaders, and ways they can impact their community.

This program also helped integrate our key social and emotional competencies such as self-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationship building into our program offerings. It opened doors for access to an enriching experience that can enhance participants’ career awareness and provided for a deeper connection to Roosevelt Island’s rich history by exploring the island through a photo lens, capturing the islands’ iconic landmarks, and the diverse community.”

“I’ve learned that photography is not about what pose you’re doing, it’s about how you’re feeling and where you are, and what positivity you have. And your feelings - it’s about basically your feelings, the mood, the setting, the balance, there needs to be a little bit of this and a little bit of that. So people can see what the picture is mostly about. And to feel that picture as if they really are in the picture and see how they would feel - even if they look at the picture - if they can remember the picture by heart.”