Focus on the youth

Kayla Webley
2004-03-08
The Daily

Is this a gathering of photography experts who have been snapping shots for years? No. But you'd never guess otherwise, unless you looked them in the eye and saw that these photographers are a little young to be masters of the field.

These Seattle-area youth, ages 13 to 19, have had the opportunity to learn photography in classes taught at an organization called Youth in Focus.

Youth in Focus is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enable urban teens to experience their world in new ways, and to make positive changes in their lives through photography. This would not be possible without the many volunteers, including UW students, who help make the mission a reality.

As the instructor comes in to start the day's class, the students quiet their photo jargon and sit fidgeting with anxiousness as they await their favorite activity: time in the dark room.

Upon entering the darkroom, students have a chance to demonstrate their skill. The students work independently of the instructor, who waits outside for any questions or problems that may arise. But few questions ever arise, as these students get to work on the day's project and make test strips for their prints.

The students have been in class for several weeks, but, as one student puts it, "It took only a few days to learn."

The students are referred to as "artists" and their work as their "vision," which allows them to be able to express their individuality through art.

"Photography is an excellent medium for teens to express themselves through. It has immediate gratification while requiring them to learn skill-building processes," said Laura Wright, UW graduate student and former Youth in Focus program director. "Youth in Focus's program also allows them to tell their story and be listened to while creating imagery that helps them reflect on themselves and their environment."

Youth in Focus recently moved to a new home in the 2100 Building, located in the Rainier Valley on South 24th Avenue. The building was developed specifically to offer a home to agencies that serve at-risk youth and children in the foster-care system. The new office is a perfect fit for the organization, as it specifically targets economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth.

"Ideally, we look for youth that do not have the opportunity to take a class like this somewhere else," said Doug Roche, program assistant. "[Teens] have a better chance of getting in if this is the only chance they have to take a class like this."

Once accepted, the student has the option of taking a beginning class and then continuing onto the advanced course, titled "Darkroom Assistants." In the advanced class, they help out beginning students in the development process. In addition to these classes, there is also a digital-photography class for students who have a specific desire for that type of photography.

It is in these classes that the necessity for volunteers really comes into play.

According to Roche, each student in the beginning and advanced level is paired one-on-one with a mentor to help them on photo shoots and in the darkroom.

Volunteer Todd Simeone, a UW junior majoring in photography, mentored a 15-year-old boy who was jumping at the chance to learn all there was about photography.

"I think of the things that I was doing at 15, you know, and he was just so into it and pumped about making art," said Simeone.

Simeone viewed the program as being similar to the Big Brother program, in which older students are assigned as mentors to younger students. Simeone said his job is to teach his student what he knows about photography and help out with his shooting assignments, in addition to just hanging out and going to art galleries.

"I felt like I really connected with my student and he connected with me on more of a peer level, so I could tell him 'hey, this is what I do, because I am still a student and am still learning,'" said Simeone.

In addition to being mentored, the students also learn how to be a mentor by lending a helping hand.

Students, no matter the skill level, offer advice to one another. Questions are often solved among fellow students, without the assistance of a staff member. When one student drops a print in the developer, another is there to make sure it is fully submerged. If one print does not turn out, a helping hand and guiding word are instantly offered.

The artists are more than willing to showcase their newly found talent. Students eagerly pick up their portfolio, their vision-in-progress, to show off. As one student points out the photographs she has taken, a story comes along with every frame.

"This one is of things in my wallet," she said. "This one is the front of my notebook."

Nor only does she show excitement for camera and film, but taking an identification card, some gum wrappers, and a collage and turning them into a lasting piece of art.

The best opportunity for the students to showcase their skill is at the organization's biggest event, the End of Quarter Show, frequently held at the UW Henry Art Gallery.

This quarter the event will be held at the Youth in Focus office March 18.

At the show, each student gets to select a final print, take a self-portrait, write an artist statement and speak to the audience about their experience in the program and the piece they have selected. According to Roche, this can be the time where growth in the student becomes evident.

"[The difference] is really apparent, especially at the End of Quarter Show," said Roche. "You'll see a student when they first come in and they will be sort of shy or seem like they might not want to be here. Then at the end you can see some growth in them, or some new excitement about art or photography or about the new abilities they have found."