With an initial background in photography, having first used a camera at age 15, I can speak from experience that not only do young people see the world in ways we adults often neglect, but also that handing a child a camera empowers them with the confidence that their point of view is indeed important.
I teach photography, both as a means to inspire investigation of ones own surroundings, as well as a foundation skill ultimately leading to video production. While learning the basic functions of the camera, students learn about composition, light sources, exposure and the art of catching moments of time. From there students move on to using photography to create stop motion animation, where they gain an understanding of pacing through various frames per second, (ie. for example, how many photographs one must take in order to make a 2 minute piece), as well as basic story telling through the arrangement and order of images. Eventually they move on to video production, focusing on both camera handling and editing, as well as interviewing and public speaking skills.
In December 2007 I took over as the RECYouth & Computer Resource Coordinator at Hamilton Fish Recreation Center in the Lower East Side, NYC and stayed on through January 2010 (upon moving to India).
These are the first crop of photographs and videos made by my (elementary, middle and high school) students during 2008.