Catch a glimpse of the world as seen through the eyes of an extraordinary group of young photographers ages 8-18. My Life in Aston: Youth Opportunities Through Photography is a 3month photographic exploration showing Aston through the eyes of its youth. The pictures will be used to create a community archive and exhibition. Community archives promote understanding, tolerance and respect between generations and between diverse social, ethnic and cultural communities. By enabling

communities to record and share their heritage , they foster active citizenship within a multicultural democracy. Community archives are as much about process as they are about product. Community archives meet objectives associated with community development, cultural identity, regeneration, lifelong learning, reminiscence and inter-generational dialogue. The benefits to communities have been identified as social, educational, cultural, creative, health, and economic.

The value of the photographic image and its use of visual language will help individuals discover themselves. This process of seeing and discovering helps teach individuals about themselves through a visual language that can then be used to communicate with others. The result is teens who have greater self-esteem and who are more willing to develop a viewpoint and present it to others. The medium of photography thus becomes a tool for building both self-esteem and communication skills.

The benefits of photography:          

•  To train in ‘seeing' your world with the joy and wonderment of pictures

•  To learn the skills of camera operation including photocomposition, visual storytelling, focus, light manipulation, etc.

•  To incorporate writing skills along with photography for a multi-media presentation to share stories, concepts, and ideas.

•  The youth are given a venue for expressing change and identity; the community has an opportunity to hear youth voices speak about something they comprehend; the project volunteers and leaders can focus on both the community benefits and the benefits to individual youth as outcomes.