About this project

On May 7th, a unique collection of photographs will be displayed at the Blind River Timber Village Museum. The photographs will be the final product of a four week project led by local youth that allows them to speak to community leaders through photography. Youth from Iron Bridge to Spanish, and all points in between, are using photography to identify the strengths and barriers young people 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 exhibition, entitled “Changes and Perspectives”, will then tour to other parts of Northern Ontario before moving to Toronto as part of the “2011 Harbourfront Symposium: Creative Communities for Children and Youth” event. 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.

The project forms the basis of research for MSc Candidate Robin Sutherland, who is studying 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.  Local high schools and volunteers have lent a hand in the project and all eagerly await May 7th to see what youth have to say about their community through the use of photos.