Youth in Focus

Written by Jintana Lityouvong

One. Two. Three. CHEESE! We've all done it. Whether it's for Myspace pictures or capturing a a special moment, photography has become a big asset to our everyday modern world, but every once in awhile someone brings it up a notch. It's more than just snapping a camera away. For some people, photography is a way to vent. A way to express feelings that words can't express alone, for those people, there's Youth in Focus.

Youth in Focus (YIF) is a city wide youth photography program that is located in the Treehouse building down the street from our very own Franklin High School. It offers tutorial classes in black and white photography as well as digital, service learning opportunities, and entrepreneurial projects for teenagers.
The entry process is simple. The first step is to fill out and complete an application which is followed up by an interview. If the coordinators and teachers  believe you will be a strong candidate, then you're ready to start your photography class!

Sounds easy enough? Not quite. Black and White photography classes are three hours a day and Digital classes are two. All classes are two days a week., so students must be committed to spend their time in YIF. Students have weekly assignments due each week. These assignments are take photos of things related to the weekly theme, which could range from how places make you feel to abstraction to self portraits.
At the end of each quarter, a show is held to feature the work done by all of the classes in the program. Each student has a minimum of three final prints hung in the show, one black and white self portrait, and the other two could be anything.

Inside the classroom, Digital Photography students are taught how to use Adobe Photoshop and all the features of a digital camera. Black and White Photography students spend time in a darkroom developing and enhancing their printing skills.

Outside the classroom, things are still being taught. "Being in YIF has helped me to really think outside the box. It expands my mind to look at things in a different way," said Sophomore Angela Keomalavong, one of the many Franklin students in the program.

YIF's mission is to "empower urban teens, through photography, to experience their world in new ways and make positive changes in their lives," as it says on it's website.

"Through YIF, I've learned more about myself. I saw what I could really do with a camera. Before I doubted myself a lot, but seeing the pictures I have taken and getting good feedbacka nd compliments had given me more confidence in myself," said Keomalavong.

Applications are available online at www.youthinfocus.org under Classes & Application. The upcoming Summer quarter beings June 29th and ends August 30th so apply now because spaces are filling up.

So why should students join? YIF is a non-profit organization, so classes are free. It is not required that you have your own camera, you can borrow one for free from the program, you gain all different kinds of photography skills and confidence, and last but not least, it's FUN!

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