About Our Project

Our unique collection of photographs has finished its tour of Blind River and Elliot Lake, following its inaugural exhibition at the Blind River Timber Village Museum from May 7-20, 2011.

The exhibition, entitled Changes and Perspectives, will next be exhibited in Toronto at the 2011 Harbourfront Symposium: Creative Communities for Children and Youth event.

The photographs are the final product of a four week project led by local youth that has enabled them to speak to community leaders through photography. Youth came together from Thessalon, Iron Bridge, Mississagi First Nations, Blind River, Cutler and Walford to use photography to identify the strengths and barriers they experience living in these communities.

The youth hope that the ideas and issues raised by the photographs will be used to create after-school youth programming that responds to the needs they have identified.

The project also forms the basis of research for MSc Candidate Robin Sutherland, who has recently completed her studies at the Health, Community and Development at the London School of Economics in London, UK.  She and Research Assistant Jon Cada are both graduates of W.C. Eaket Secondary School. Cada is a recent graduate of Journalism at Canadore College in North Bay.

The project is supported by the Arts Network for Children and Youth, the Blind River Youth Council, and Algoma District Services Administration Board Ontario Works, Cameco and DEMI Framing.  Opening Exhibition supporters included Tim Hortons, M&M Meatshops and the Blind River Timber Village Museum.