PROJECT UPDATES |
SUPPORTING PHOTOVOICE |
Visible Rights - Afghanistan
Despite the difficulties and dangers, PhotoVoice is preparing to return to Afghanistan to carry out another project, this time focusing on child rights. We are planning workshops with young Afghanis in collaboration with partner MSPA – Media Support Project Afghanistan.
Visible Rights provides the opportunity for the children and our partner’s staff to use photography to document the difficulties of their lives and raise awareness of the need to implement the rights of children in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
PHOTOVOICE NEEDS YOUR HELP URGENTLY
Although our donors have already given generously, we desperately need your help to ensure our project goes ahead as planned. We need to raise just £3,000 to put towards the costs of project equipment and other materials for the workshops and to help the children and to get their images out to as wide an audience as possible. As with all our overseas projects, once the project is complete, the cameras and other useful materials will remain for the children’s benefit to encourage them to continue to use their new-found skills.
If you can, please help. We have a variety of quick and easy fundraising ideas or you can donate directly to the project here. Contact kat@photovoice.org if you’d like to get involved.
Moving Stories - London
Another new partnership for us here, this time our first grant from the London Borough of Hackney (where we’ve been based for the last ten years) to do a one day taster workshop with the young gypsy, roma and traveler community of East London as part of Discover Young Hackney 2010. We’re hoping that this will lead to further
projects with them, and exhibitions in East London. Photographer Ania Dabriowska’s is facilitating.
Having Our Say - England
We’re delighted to be working with the National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children and Young People and their member organisations (NSPCC, The Children’s Society, Walsall Street Teams, Barnardos, Engage, Manchester Blue Room Manchester and Safe and Sound Derby) for the first time. Having Our Say (a working title until the young people involved choose one for themselves) is creatively engaging 24 young people at risk of or affected by sexual exploitation in learning photography, expressing themselves and making links with other young people at other project sites around the country.
Images of Foul Play - India
300 million Dalits (untouchables) suffer under the 3000 year old caste system which considers them to be lower value than others. Despite caste discrimination now being illegal in India, the human rights of Dalits are routinely violated. Around 1.3 million Dalits in India, mostly women, make their living through manual scavenging - the job of removing human excrement from dry toilets and sewers using basic tools. Manual scavengers earn as little as one rupee (about 1p) a day. Although illegal, it is still widely practised.
This month we are beginning photographic workshops in Delhi, run in partnership with Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) - an Indian organisation dedicated to the eradication of manual scavenging in India. Through these workshops, facilitated by Rashmi Munikempanna, a group of Dalit manual scavengers will use photography to speak out about the reality of their lives, creating work that will feed into campaigns run by SKA and the Dalit Solidarity Network UK.
See the Foul Play Campaign for more info.
Images of What Is Ours - Paraguay
This is our third new partnership, and one that’s been a long time in the planning. In March 2010 we’re going to Paraguay with Amnesty International to work with Tierra Viva and the Yakye Axa and Sawhoyamaxa indigenous communities. The Yakye Axa and Sawhoyamaxa people are calling on the Paraguayan government to abide by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights to return their ancestral lands to them. Both communities currently live on
the roadside in deplorable conditions near the ancestral lands they seek.
PhotoVoice Auction of Exceptional Photographs
We are delighted to announce that last year’s auction raised £93,000 which has ensured PhotoVoice can continue with its planned projects for this year.
PhotoVoice would like to thank the event’s host Thomson Reuters, the individuals that sponsored the event, all the donating photographers and volunteers on the night. We would also like to say a huge thank you to those of you who came along and made the night such a fun and successful evening.
Image - Allan Jenkins with his print, 'Three Avocados', 2003.
Sights Unseen reaches worldwide audience
Sights Unseen was covered on BBC Radio4’s In Touch program, and an audio slide show on the BBC website was viewed by more than 150,000 people worldwide.
More than than 250 people also visited the accessible and interactive Sights Unseen exhibition at the Association of Photographers Gallery from Jan 19 – 28th , and a talk about sensory photography by project manager Matt Daw and visually impaired photographer Tanvir Bush drew a capacity crowd.
Many thanks to all the facilitators and participants on this project.
PhotoVoice Training Workshops
We’ve just delivered the first of PhotoVoice’s four open training sessions for Spring 2010. We’ve had great feedback from the participants who did the Introduction to Participatory Photography course on February 2nd. Using participatory methodologies, our training aims to give a broad introduction to the subject, covering topics such as facilitation, planning, photo exercises and the background to the methodology. All of the Spring courses are now fully booked, but please look out for mailings from us on the next set of courses, and sign up quickly if you’d like to take part!
PhotoVoice Lecture Series - Tim Hetherington
'Words on Monday’ at Kings Place, London.
May 10th 2010
7pm
Recent winner at the Sundance Film Festival, photographer and film maker Tim Hetherington will deliver a PhotoVoice lecture as part of the ‘Words on Monday’ series at Kings Place.
Intrigued by the possibilities of the image in the digital age, Tim Hetherington has evolved a documentary practice that both harnesses and looks beyond the still photograph. He will discuss and share his diverse work, ranging from visual communication and digital projection to fly-poster exhibitions and handheld device downloads.
Tickets £9.50 directly from the Kings Place. To book click here or call the Box Office on 020 7520 1490
Sensory Photography: Photography for blind and visually impaired people
This resource is based upon the expertise and experience of PhotoVoice and Mexican NGO Ojos que Sienten A.C / Sight of Emotion, with specific reference to two projects, Beyond Sight and Sights Unseen run in partnership between the two organisations.
This resource is intended to provide an understanding of the concept of sensory photography, and some of the methods and techniques required to enable visually impaired and blind people to use photography as a tool of communication, self-expression and advocacy.
Therapeutic Photography: Photography as a tool for promoting well being
This resource provides information and shares learning and ideas on the use of photography as a tool for the support of people that experience mental distress. The focus is on the potential of photographic workshops to provide those living with mental illness with opportunities for personal development, enjoyment and creative expression, being with new people, learning new skills and developing confidence and self-esteem.
The resource is intended for arts practitioners, photographers, support workers and mental health service providers and users who are interested in using photography and initiating photography projects. It is the culmination of over ten years of experience of working with vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, together with the learning from two projects run jointly by PhotoVoice and disability charity United Response.
Virgin London Marathon
Due to a complication with the registration system James will be unable to run in 2010. However, he will be on the starting line in 2011. Although both James and PhotoVoice are disappointed not to be participating this year, with this extra time for training and fundraising we expect to double our targets and see James finish in half the time!
Sign someone up as a Friend of PhotoVoice for a year. For as little as £5 per month they will receive regular updates and discounts on PhotoVoice events & publications while supporting a relevant charity. Click here
Do you have a friend who wants to run their own photography project? The PhotoVoice Manual is a great learning and research resource, for more information click here
Simply make a Donation Online – every penny counts! Click here
PhotoVoice supporters make a huge impact on our work and without your kind donations we would not be able to continue our projects with marginalized communities. We would like to say a huge thank you to the following individuals and organizations:
AB Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Education & General Charitable Trust, Anonymous Trust, Jocarno Fund, BBT Trust, Yorkshire & Clydesdale Bank Foundation, Insight Investment
The AOP ran the Red Dot Auction that raised over £1300 for PhotoVoice in December 2009. Many thanks to the AOP members who donated prints and to the Gallery and it's staff for all their hard work.
PhotoVoice was delighted to be given the opportunity to exhibit at the London Art Fair 2010 for the second year running. Thank you to Upper Street Events for making it possible and to all those that bought prints and supported the charity.
PhotoVoice would also like to thank The Nova Gallery, The Nunhead Society and Maynard Leigh for their generous donations and in-kind support.
If you can’t wait three months until the next newsletter from PhotoVoice you can now keep up to date with what we are doing on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!
