Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Supporting Education in DC

I promised myself I would be more active in my community this year and here is action no. 1 !

Critical Exposure is a nonprofit organization that teaches middle and high school students to document issues that impact their lives through photography and to use their images and voices to advocate for change. The organization has worked with more than 350 students in D.C. and across the country. These students have helped to secure more than $100 million to improve public school facilities, supported campaigns to address youth homelessness and teen pregnancy, and are now working to address D.C.'s dropout crisis.

They are not only teaching these kids a valuable skill, but more importantly, they are giving them a voice.

Last week I volunteered, along with other local photographers, to work with some of the kids on their projects. Nicole (SOTA DZINE) and I worked with Chrystal, a high-school senior who wants to highlight absenteeism as a serious problem in DC schools. We discussed the reasons that kids don't come to school along with the consequences and how she could illustrate that through photography. We also went outside with our cameras and gave her some pointers on composition and lighting to help her make more thoughtful images.

I look forward to doing more work with this organization. What they do is so very important and they need all the help they can get! Last year I led a small camera drive for them and donated some of my prints for an auction. If you have time or money to donate, I highly recommend contacting them. It feels great to help!

CRITICAL EXPOSURE

1816 12th Street NW | 3rd Floor | Washington, DC 20009
www.criticalexposure.org | info@criticalexposure.org | 202-745-3745x20

Here are a few images from our class:
(all photos courtesy of Adam Levner, Critical Exposure)