Talking Pictures for Youth

The Talking Pictures for Youth program is a unique project that will bring together students and youth of all ethnicities and backgrounds to strengthen the local community and family by providing instruction of photography and oral history skills for historical research and presentation.

Project Rationale and Community Need

With each new generation of the PlayStation, Xbox, and cell phones that will do everything except clean your room, today's youth get more alienated from what will become their own history. If future educators hope to reach our youth, it must be done in a way that will engage their creativity.

Convincing evidence shows that what students learn in the arts may help them master other subjects, such as history and social studies. In 2005, a Harris Poll on the attitudes of Americans toward arts education found that 93% of the public agrees the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education. Further, 86% agree an arts education encourages and assists in the improvement of a child's attitudes toward school. Yet, despite this evidence, the arts remain one of the first subjects to be dropped in times of tight budgets.

Often, history as a required high school subject is viewed by the students as boring and unrelated to their computerized world. "History has nothing to do with me," is a sentiment often heard from today's youth. Students may not know the history of their own community or their own family.

Talking Pictures for Youth will bring together those two seemingly disparate areas -- history and art-in a way that demonstrates the importance of both and involves the student at the same time.

"I don't know what I can offer," said Esther, a 91-year old participant/subject in a recent oral history. "Why would you be interestedin my stories?"

Her question echoes across the generation gap of society and becomes, in itself, the answer. To lose her knowledge and experience is to watch a vital link from our history and society disappear. Esther's story of growing up in the Depression Era, living in a culturally diverse neighborhood, is unique to her. It is one part of the patchwork that is the life of today's society. If no-one asks, "What's your story?" indeed a piece of history will be lost forever.

Without the oral accounts and photographic records, the personal perspectives may be lost. It is vital we document and record the history and importance of subjects and their relationship to the community, and most importantly, teach our youth how to do Talking Pictures "field work" and the importance of preservation and culture. In doing this, we establish that student-led presentations can help promote a better understanding of community and a greater shared knowledge through their history and art.

Through this specialized opportunity, students go beyond merely learning how to use the camera. Rather, to see the camera as a tool to explore their family and community heritage. The program shows how photographs and oral histories can result in a body of work that helps celebrate the lives of people in one unique project. The photographs create the visual appeal while the oral history adds the historical and emotional interest.

Our youth program uses photography and multimedia productions to explore, appreciate, and experience their family and community. The program encourages students to reach out to both record the information and to learn their histories. By doing so, students strengthen their confidence, self-esteem, artistic aspirations, talents, and interests.

Students gather first-person recollections as well as seek out historic photographs and newspaper accounts to accompany their own photography. The project is designed for hands-on participation. The students will identify participants and assemble materials to develop into a final presentation to enlighten a viewing public and create a dialog and discussion on their subjects.

Goals

Our goal is to increase the educational opportunities and the value of bringing together students with community/family members so that they can better understand one another through photography and history.

Cinderic Documentaries Inc. is seeking partners for this initiative. To find out more and to get involved with this unique opportunity, please contact eric@cinderic.org