The voice of Zambian youth just got louder, and youth in Calgary will soon hear their message, as the next phase of CAWST's Youth Story Project comes back to Calgary.
CAWST just concluded an exciting project in Ndola, Zambia, with our partners Seeds of Hope International Partnerships (SHIP) and ten youth from Kayele Basic School. With the help of CAWST and SHIP, selected youth from Kayele Basic School learned how to document their water stories using photography, video and sound recording. This fall, CAWST will release a new teaching resource for junior high students, created from these stories. The resource will be titled, The Kids from Kayale.
This initiative is part of the Youth Story Project, one of the ways CAWST's Wavemakers Program is showcasing water actions from youth around the world. "We hope that these stories of youth action will inspire youth here in Canada, to take action on water issues," says Lisa Mitchell, Education Program Developer for CAWST. "There is a lot we have to learn from initiatives in other parts of the globe. The youth story project, allows youth to teach youth about taking action on water issues."
On the third day of the project, the Zambian youth were given the assignment of documenting their school assembly. "We thought they would be shy with the cameras and audio equipment at first," says Adele Woolsey, the photographer working with the youth, "but they dove to it like fish to water, and did an amazing job."
Responding to the call of beating drums and song, students from the school circled around a group of students performing a traditional dance. As the students gathered, they joined in the song, until hundreds of voices were adding to the music and rhythm. In the centre, the young performers picked up the intensity of their dance, adding fiery expression to the music.
As if they were part of the performance, the youth photographers were snapping close and wide shots of the dancers, as the audio recorders held mics up to the singers and the drums. When the music stopped, the schools hygiene club stepped into the centre of the circle, and performed a skit about the importance of safe water. The whole event was captured by the lenses and microphones of the youth crew.
At the end of the two week project, an exhibition was held at the school to showcase the work of the students. Over 100 people attended, and the youth were showered with praise for their incredible work. When the Kids of Kayele is released this fall, Canadian youth will share in the passion and excitement of this amazing group of youth.
The Youth Story Project shares the actions that youth around the world are taking to gain access to safe water and sanitation. It was sparked by giving a camera to Tikho , a young girl in Zambia; the project was further explored by teaching photography to youth in Haiti and asking them to document actions related to water and sanitation where they live. Now the Youth Story Project has evolved into teaching youth the skills to tell their own water stories using photography, audio, and video. It has also become the principal way that CAWST's Wavemakers Program gathers materials for our North American teaching resources.
