For my research project, I created a mentorship
program to teach photography and text in alternative learning spaces to court
involved youth. Desired outcomes include fostering and promoting positive
self-esteem by developing new skill sets acquired from learning the technical
and creative skills of photography. This process also results in
promoting positive and respectful communication skills as students learn how to
write about and critique their work and the work of others.
This summer I spent three days each week working
with 3-5 residents at Stepping Stones. Stepping Stones is a
community-based, non-secure residential treatment program for male court
involved youth, ages 14-17 that is located in Fairfax County, Virginia.
After our first session each resident was
provided with a DSLR camera, two lenses, and a portable flash drive. During our
sessions the program participants learned how to operate a DSLR camera. They
also learned how to select the appropriate lens and the fundamentals of
composition and lighting. Lessons also included instructions on how to upload
images from memory cards to Adobe Lightroom and how to edit images in Adobe
Photoshop.
The first session of each week would typically
begin with a critique of their work from the prior week. The remainder of our
time was spent photographing, scrapbooking, creating cyanotypes, and/or
learning about other camera-based processes and influential photographers. For
the final week of my program, we will have an exhibition showcasing their work
to their families.
From my observations throughout the project, I
feel that to continue my program in the future a few adjustments could be made
in the following ways. For instance, it was difficult having only a single
laptop when uploading and editing images with a group of five participants.
This was time consuming because I could only work with one participant at a
time. Also having an assistant would be beneficial for providing more
one-on-one time with each participant. Fortunately, the entire staff at Stepping
Stones are vested in the success of each resident, and they were not only very
helpful with their ideas and suggestions throughout my program, but I learned a
great deal from them regarding how to better handle challenging moments.
Because the staff supported me and their residents throughout my entire
program, this also added to my awareness regarding what things might be of more
interest to the participants.
Measuring the long-term success of my program
will not be possible for a few years. As for measuring short term success, I
observed drastic improvement not only in their work, but in their behavior.
They began dressing up for our sessions becoming more confident behind and in
front of the camera. The participant’s critique of their work and the work of
others was also impressive and very respectful.
In the future, I plan to continue my work with
the adjustments noted above. A few years from now I will reach out to each
participant to measure the success of my program.
