Youth in Focus is an afterschool program that uses intensive photography training as a tool to help disadvantaged teens develop personal voice, positive identity, social skills and artistic skills. We offer free, multi-level classes for teens ages 13-19 in both film and digital photography, and advanced students participate in our job skills project shooting assignments for hire. Classes are taught by professional teaching artists and supported by volunteer adult mentors. In this way we create a community of support around our students that both encourages and challenges them on their journey to a positive adulthood.
Our small class sizes, instruction from professional teaching artists, support from adult volunteer mentors, custom-designed curriculum, purpose-built space—and dedication to respecting, supporting, and challenging young people—all work together to create a powerful experience for our students. See the impact Youth in Focus has.
Video created by Birdhouse Creative
Music: Something to Believe In by Aqualung, used by permission
What We Do
Everybody wants to know that their own story is meaningful and valuable. Youth in Focus uses the story telling power of photography to help young people develop skills and attitudes to overcome barriers they face and support them on their journey to a positive adulthood. Take a moment and see their work in the student gallery. Photography is accessible: skills build quickly and anyone who works at it can produce terrific images. Many of our current students struggle with other art forms and have difficulty expressing themselves verbally or in writing; their cameras turn them into artists. But our goal is not merely to train our students as photographers; we want to help them create successful lives. We do this by teaching them transferable skills and engaging them with a network of caring adults.
