HARBOR WORKSYouthWorks
YouthWorks is a community documentary initiative, which encourages children of local commercial fishing families to tell their stories with photography. Each year the Gallery commissions one youngster, aged 11-14, to take pictures of the people, places and experiences that are important to them, and create a narrative that tells their friends and family something about the environment in which they live.
YouthWorks allows a local child to become the community’s photojournalist. Focusing on the waterfront and the people whose lives are deeply connected to it, they keep a journal and document their experiences throughout the course of the seasons. By using black and white film and printing their own images, they work in a tradition as old as photography itself. Upon completion of the project, the Gallery presents an exhibit of their work to the community in conjunction with Cundy’s Harbor Days.
YouthWorks is supported by the Cundy’s Harbor Library, which will be the future archive for each YouthWorks documentary. All negatives and prints will be cataloged and selected images digitized, providing a teaching and learning resource for future generations. A selection of each child’s work will be prominently displayed throughout the building, telling the story of Cundy’s Harbor and its people through the eyes of its children.
YouthWorks is based on the premise that children are keen observers of their surroundings, and their stories convey concerns and aspirations from which an older generation can learn. Through its exhibits and collections, the Gallery provides a documentary framework that promotes place-based education and the use of photography as a form of literacy. By encouraging children to develop narratives that reflect their conceptions of place, YouthWorks is a model for other resource-based communities.
All photographs by Nathan Harley