June Photo Competition Winner and Honorable Mentions

Woman Feeding a Child

Raissa Ndayishimiye

"Looking to the way it is very hard to raise a child, makes me believe in mothers"

Honorable Mentions to: 

Georgina Winthrop

Tulips in the Snow

"This image of perseverance in nature reminds me to stay strong and to grow when faced with adversity"

Thierry Ngabo

My Family

"My family is a part of things that give me hope, for their smiles widen my horizons of hope"

Aimee-Gloria Nahimana

A Teacher

"I trust my teacher because he helps me get my knowledge as far as the eye can see, and know what I didn't know before"

 

Thank you to all participants!

This month's theme is What does equality look like? We would love to see your photographs! Please submit them to peaceinfocus@gmail.com by July 1st!

 

Our Journey To The Corners (video)

The Peace in Focus spring 2010 group of 10-16 year olds rode the 66 bus, using their critical photographic and conflict transformational eyes to document and compare two neighborhood centers in Boston. They produced this essay of photographic pairs for a public art project called Virtual Corners, which seeks to break down the divide and distance between two very diverse communities with significant historical connections: Coolidge Corner, Brookline, and in Dudley Square, Roxbury. Here's a video version of their collective photo essay, also featured in on exhibit at the USES Harriett Tubman House in Roxbury.



All the photographs that appear in this short movie were captured by Peace in Focus youth
participants including:

Alex (15)
Adriana (13)
Dounia (15)
Khadijah (12)
Miniya (10)
Sadiq (12)
Shaliah (13)

Voices Heard include:

Danielle Martin, PiF Instructor
Dounia, youth participant
Jumaada, Nubian Notion, Dudley Sq
Ethel Weis, Irvings Toy & Card Shop, Coolidge Corner
Khadijah, youth participant
Willy, the 66 Bus Blues Man
Other Music by Fireproof Babies - Bathroom_Blues from CCMixter.org

Special thanks to our staff/volunteers:
Kate, Kyle, Julian, Danielle, Heather, Kim, Ben, & Pablo

Also special thanks to the support of John Ewing & the Virtual Corners project, Thaddeus Miles of MassIMPACT, United South End Settlements, and the Knight Foundation.

www.peaceinfocus.org
www.virtualcorners.net

Film by Danielle Martin (MizzD Productions 2010)

Digital Stories from USES Afterschoolers!

Here's the final reflective digital stories made by 10-12 year old participants in our 6-week session this spring. The youth used a script, much like a Mad Lib, to draft a short reflective digital story that featured some of the photos they took over the 6 weeks then their own recorded voice telling us about their identity, their sources of conflict, how they find or build peace, and their ideas on how to change the world. This Peace in Focus spring collaboration with the United South End Settlement's Afterschool Program was made possible through the support of MassIMPACT.

David's Story



Elsa's Story



Jeremiah's Story



Mahki's Story



Serv's Story

Announcing a Photo Competition Winner: Congratulations Roxanne Krystalli!

"Bursting in the Desert"

 Roxanne Krystalli

   One of two water reservoirs irrigating the Bahariya Oasis in the Western Sahara Desert.      

May Contest Theme: What I cannot live without.  

Submit photographs for our June Photo Competition: 

Theme: What is your source of hope?

From Dudley to Coolidge - Photography & Conflict along the 66 Bus

Ever wondered why neighborhoods in Boston are so different?  Ever been to Dudley Square? How about Coolidge Corner? The Boston crew has started a new group project, documenting life in two neighborhoods that both lie on the 66 bus route, but rarely interact with each other.  

We're gathering photo impressions as part of the Virtual Corners public art project:

Beginning in June 2010, a storefront in Coolidge Corner, Brookline, and in Dudley Square, Roxbury will be transformed into large video screens, providing pedestrians of each neighborhood with a portal into one another's worlds. Running 24/7, life-size screen images and AV technology will enable real-time communication between residents of the two neighborhoods.

We've been riding the bus, with cameras and lil notebooks in hand.

Today, we'll start doing some audio interviews with residents and bus riders, asking questions like:

How old are you?
Where are you from?
Are you in school? Where?
How do you feel about your community?
What's your favorite food?
Are you a photographer?
What's one word to describe you and why?
What do you think about this place?
How do you feel when you come here?
Do you like it?
How do you think people outside the community view it?
What's positive about this place? What would you change?

If you're around, come join us!

Announcing a Photography Competition

Peace in Focus 

International Photography Competition

Peace in Focus is launching an international photography competition for youth. Each month, we will accept submissions on a particular theme from young photographers around the world. The themes will reflect the core interests and values of Peace in Focus – youth leadership, non-violence, and socially conscious photography. Participants may submit literal or artistic interpretations of the subject, and photographs will be evaluated on their creativity, social message, and unique framing of the topic. Winners will receive a $25 prize and will be featured on our blog and website. All entries will be included in a monthly online slideshow, highlighting the vision and voices of young people around the world. 

Requirements

• Photographers must be 25 years old or under to be eligible to win.
• Photographers may submit one to three photographs depicting the month’s theme. Each photograph or photo-essay must be accompanied by a title and caption that explains the photographer’s message or point of view.
• Submissions must be emailed to peaceinfocus@gmail.com by the 1^st of each month. Remember to include your name, age, address, phone number, photo title and caption.
• Please note that by participating in this competition, you grant permission for Peace in Focus to feature your work online and/or in print materials.
• All entries, including the month’s winner, will be featured on the Peace in Focus website and blog. 

Monthly Themes

• May 1, 2010: What is something you cannot live without?
• June 1, 2010: What is your source of hope?
• July 1, 2010: What does equality look like?
• August 1, 2010: Whom do you most admire in your community?
• September 1, 2010: Where do you get information about your community or the world?
• October 1, 2010: Where do you find peace?
• November 1, 2010: What is your dream for the future?
• December 1, 2010: If you could say anything to one thousand people, what would you say?

 

Click here to download and share a .pdf version of this announcement. We look forward to seeing your photos!

Photography Concepts and Conflict

Here's some photos we took while talking about how photo concepts can illustrate issues of conflict.  We also learned photography techniques like focus, angle, point of view, framing, time and cropping/zooming.  We then went for a walk near USES at a park near Northeastern University and tried out our new skills.

This is a picture that shows focus,because it's only showing the little detail and not the entire photo.
                                                                                         -Rashaan

This picture show Angle/ Point of View.

                                 -Rashaan

These 2 pictures represent the Time concept and I used them because the second picture shows that overtime events occur that change peoples moods or facial expression.
                                                                    -Devaughn White

These 2 pictures represent the Cropping and Zoom concept. I decided to use these two pictures because without seeing the computer in the second image, you would not know where the plant was.
                                                                        -Devaughn White 

These 2 images kind of represent the Framing concept because it excludes something (the books) and it also shows Timing again because the first image, the books are included. In the second image it shows that some people passed by and helped themselves to the books.
                                                                       -Devaughn White

Try out this Conflict Photo Hunt

This week during the Peace In Focus Open Lab times at USES Harriet Tubman House, we'll be exploring images of conflict using a quick photo scavenger hunt.  Open this worksheet and try it yourself!

Check out National Geographic's photography website:
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/

It has some great photography tips sections: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/portrait-photography-tips/

Watch the video on on photojournalist, Reza: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2008/11/photojournalist-reza.html

How does Reza portray conflict in his photos? What other things does he capture about the culture in places experiencing war and conflict?

Now, look through the People & Culture section, and find 5 images that you think portray conflict: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/people-culture/

Then, check out the Boston Globe photo archive (or other Boston based news sites), and find 5 images that you think portray conflict in Boston:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/photos/Archive/ or http://bostonherald.com/news/ or http://openmediaboston.org/news

Try searching news stories for neighborhoods in Boston, like Hyde Park, Dorchester or Roxbury? How are they different than the photos that go with articles on other neighborhoods like Brookline, the South End, or Fort Point?

Here's what Khadijah wrote about the pictures she found:

These pictures made me feel very unhappy and kind of strange because some of the pictures did not make a lot of sense and one of them made me laugh. Also some of the pictures made me think I should do something about it and I also think that just the picture kinda gives you the idea of what is happening in the story.

[Photograph by Lynn Johnson, National Geographic Magazine Features]

Also check out the photos found by Sadiq and Devaughn.


What do you think? How can we genuinely capture images of conflict as aspiring photojournalists and agents of social transformation in our communities?

Our Identity Collages!

The following are a number of collages made by the youth of Peace In Focus during the first weeks of the spring training institute at USES Harriet Tubman House in the South End. 

The first was created by Sadiq and, quoted, he said: "The image all the way to the left is showing that I'm learning to be good at photography because there's nice lighting to it. The top-centered one shows that I like reading and I'm intelligent, etc. The one below that shows that I like to sleep. And the one to the far right shows a picture of me as a photographer and how I view myself as one. I also really like it."

My name is Shaliah and this collage is basically five different ways to describe me. For my first example, the picture at the top left-hand corner shows that i'm a LOVING individual. The second one, to the right of that one is a way to show that i'm SiLLY. The one below it shows that i'm SERIOUS.The last one,to the bottom left-hand corner, shows that i'm FLEXIBLE.

HI  my   name  is    Miniya. These  pictures  are  all about  how  I   want   people   to  see  me.

Hi my name is Adriana, this shows that I'm goofy and sweet at the same time.  This collage is my about my identity because this is how I see myself.  Sometimes I don't think I'm a nice person.  But I like to see myself this way, not an angry devil but instead an angel.

My name is Khadijah and I did this colllage to express myself.  The two people on the wall [at USES] mean I like to dance and the stairs mean I like heights.  I also like to make friends and I love the Red Sox.  These are all ways I want to be seen.

My name is Devaughn White and the collage that I made shows what I am like.The picture in the top right hand corner shows that I like sunny days, below displays that I like to sleep. The picture of me all the way at the bottom of the image shows that I am friendly and I like taking pictures of myself. The image of me walking shows that I like to walk and my backpack sends the message that I like school. The picture of the sneaker shows that my favorite color is red but also that I absolutely love sneakers.

Learning about Photoshop

Today we learned about Adobe Photoshop! We went around and took pictures. We made special effects with our photos like we made crazy pictures. We took pictures of ourselves and added crazy things. Miniya added a crazy mustache. Also Khadijah added a wonderful rainbow to her background and she also made a peace sign. We saw crazy Antonio.

See ya on Saturday!

Peace!
-Khadijah & Miniya

From Boston Spring '10

From Boston Spring '10