The youth in Hagley Gap, Jamaica are faced with many obstacles because of where they live. They have no running water and many of them can not afford to go to school. These children are the future of this community and have many ideas on how they can change, work and fix their living conditions. Their days consist of helping fetch water, washing their clothes at the river or helping take care of their younger brothers and sisters.

Who's involved:
Project leaders: Andrea Edwards, Kemarley Walker, Kevin Williams, Leslie Spaulding, Shamieka (Assistant Youth Leader)

Project coordinator: Kelly Lynch

Main partner: The Blue Mountain Project

Timeframe:
September 2006 - December 2007

Theme:
Life and Love in Islands

The project is a way to help educate the youth and help them build critical thinking skills. This project also lets the youth become artists and positive advocates in their community.

Objectives:
- To give the youth of Hagley Gap, a rural Jamaican community in the Blue Mountains a visual voice through the use of photography.
- Give the older youth a chance to be positive role models for all the youth in the community.
- Create leadership roles and let the leaders be a part of teaching and educating the younger youth on community and how to create a positive and safe place to live.
- Create social change through empowerment of youth in their community.
- Offer the younger youth, old youth to talk to about what’s going on in their lives.
- Create awareness that the youth should work together.
- Give youth a chance to be artist and bring art to their community.
- Have an exhibit of photographs to bring about community involvement.
- Make children aware that they are the future of their community and their nation.
- Give youth that have no access to computers knowledge to technology and a chance to learn how to use computers and cameras.
- Create a positive activity with the youth’s findings from their photographs and begin making changes in the community.
- Have youth lead and educate the community on AIDS and HIV through photography, posters and an AIDS awareness day.

Activities:
- Purchase digital cameras and organise 16 workshops over 6 weeks for local youths. The workshops will teach photography skills and have group discussions on community issues and how the youth can act as social activists within their community and bring about positive change. Throughout the workshops the youth will take pictures and create a story of what they see are happening in their lives and in their community.
- Purchase a laptop and organise a basic workshop for youths on how to use the Internet, obtain an e-mail address and create word documents. The laptop will be donated to and remain in the Hagley Community Library for use by the youth. 
- The youth leaders will train other youth participants on basic computer skills and create step-by-step guidelines  (in the form of a booklet)  that will teach youths how to use the computer and create a simple document.
- Organise a photo exhibit at the 'Back to School' party to be held at the Community Center.
- Organise a photo exhibit and clean-up campaign centered on the recent event of 'Hurricane Dean'
- Create posters and plan an AIDS awareness day for the youth to educate what they know and have learned about staying safe.
- Implement a positive change activity in the community that will be decided by the youths after the photo exhibit.
- Publicise all the activities through local radio, television and newspapers;

Progress Reports:
29 October 2007
"The photos taken by the participants of the Photovoice project were displayed during the Blue Mountain Project's annual Back-2-School Extravaganza on September 21st. The event attracted over five hundred people who came to see an eye doctor and for a free distribution of backpacks for children who would be attending school in the upcoming year.  The photos were displayed proximately on a wall adjacent to the backpack registration station and were seen by almost all attendants.

In this community where art and photography are absent the adults of the community along with a number of the local teachers were there to see the students' artwork and throughout the day the photos were one of the most popular attractions during the day." - Kelly

27 September 2007
"Right now Tibby (Andrea Edwards) and the others are leading the children in a photovoice 2: Cleaning up after (Hurricane) Dean!" - Kelly

27 August 2007
"Things are ok here in Hagley Gap. We were hit pretty bad by the hurricane and we are working to repair the community. The photovoice project is going as planned and brings tears to my eyes, seeing the amazing work and knowledge being spread." - Kelly

Downloads:
Project proposal and workplan

For more information:
Contact Kelly Lynch: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it