The Toronto exhibition was a huge success!!! December is such a busy time of year but we want to thank everyone who took the time to come support the event. Nearly 400 people were in attendance and everyone was absolutely floored by the incredible talent of the learners. A selection of the photographs were on display in addition to some of the learner’s poetry and we are very excited about the money were able to raise for Ikamva! Final details on funds raised will follow but we want to thank everyone who made the event possible.  We want to thank Whipper Snapper gallery for all their help, Schools Without Borders for sponsoring the event, President’s Choice, Amsterdam Brewery, 65 Degrees and all the volunteers who helped out during the exhibition.  

Stayed tuned for info about possible upcoming exhibitions, projects and events!

YEY Canada (Youth Engaging Youth) Project Summary:

We are a group of five Canadian youth who traveled to South Africa last summer to develop a successful photography project in conjunction with a local, grassroots NGO called Ikamva Youth.(www.ikamvayouth.org).

Ikamva Youth works primarily in Khayelitsha and Nyanga, two of South Africa's most dangerous and impoverished townships. Violence, poverty and AIDS plague these communities and approximately 40% of the population is HIV positive. However, there are a number of brilliant and driven youth from the townships who, despite the obstacles, are determined to change things for themselves, their families and their communities. Ikamva Youth is an organization which helps them do just that, by providing youth with appropriate health education, an emotional support system and the necessary supplementary tutoring and bursaries so they can continue their education after middle and high school.

The photography project that was run, in conjunction with Ikamva Youth, was based upon one that currently runs in Nairobi, Kenya called Shoot Back. In the Mathare slums of Nairobi youth were given point and shoot cameras and given the opportunity to document their lives, struggles, and achievements in whatever way they chose. They were free to express themselves however they saw fit and the pictures that came out of that project were incredibly moving and currently are for sale in a book called "ShootBack". (http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/110197.html)

The value of photography projects, such as this one, lies in the fact that photos are concrete, tangible and immediate indicators of skill progression: youth can see their progress and hold it in their hands. In order to have the most impact, youth are given ownership over all their pictures and what those pictures mean to them. There are similar projects that run all over the world, such as Kids with Cameras. http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/home/

      We wanted to do something similar; however our aims were slightly different. We sought to provide youth with an outlet for expression, a tool for personal growth and a vehicle for instigating social change.  After holding a focus group with youth from Khayelitsha, it became clear that there was certainly a desire and a need for a project with such mandates.

Not one of these youth had ever been offered an art class in school and very few had seen a camera, let alone taken a photograph. However, with the help of Canadian donors and our South Africa sponsor, Eastman Kodak, we were able to secure 25 digital cameras for the 90 youth of Ikamva. A number of photography workshops were held and the youth, aged 15-17, were taught the basics of photography, how to take a good photograph, and how photography has been used historically as a means for social change. There was also an emphasis on the entrepreneurial opportunities of photography within the townships, and how photography can be a viable career option.  

Each Ikamva “learner” had two days to photograph their families, communities and lives. A local university donated the use of their computer lab, and each learner was given the opportunity to digitally edit their photos. This added an element of computer literacy to the project and re-enforced that each photographer maintained ownership over his or her photographs. The learners were also encouraged to write explanations to accompany their images in order to emphasize the power of various vehicles for expression.

The photographs that came out of the project were extremely moving. On July 25^th, 2006 a South African exhibition was held at a local library in Khayelitsha, and those from both inside and outside of the community attended. The exhibition was a huge success and reinforced the viability of the project.

The project has become a sustainable one, as the 25 cameras are now Ikamva’s and it is the youth that run the project.  The photographs are evolving into the face for Ikamva Youth and their variety of initiatives. A Canadian exhibition will be held in December in order to raise funds for Ikamva Youth, and exhibit the incredible work of these young photographers.