How I See It — My Place
Hayward
Josh Tagoylo, Marisa Lomeli, Amrita Singh, Kavita Singh, Alex Harmon, Aakash Hazari, and Timmy Huynh, (missing Neha Gupta).
Kavita Singh zeros in on a shot of some flowers.
Timmy Huynh focuses in on the BART tracks.
Amrita Singh hangs photos for the opening reception.
The community gathers to view the teens work at an opening reception held at the Hayward City Hall rotunda.
Behind the Scenes
The Hayward Main Library is located in downtown Hayward, in a mix of civic buildings, small businesses and some homes. About 25 miles south of San Francisco, it serves a diverse, middle class community with no ethnic majority.
The library is one of the only free places for teens to hang out in this area. Its close proximity to a major transportation hub makes it a stop-off for those on their way home from school. In its commitment to serve teens, the library holds weekly programs that mix entertainment and learning. The How I See It: My Place photography and writing project sponsored by CCH was an ideal opportunity to broaden these offerings. Youth were recruited for the project through local schools and community organizations and met for ten weeks during the summer.
Hayward teens walk the neighborhood west of the library.
With cameras in hand, the teens explored the environment surrounding the library. They found the neighborhood a mix of old and new as they passed construction for new retail shops in one block and deteriorating historical structures on the next. They were fascinated by instances of nature protruding through the built environment, perplexed by the abundance of city hall structures and intrigued by stories of the city’s past. All the while, the teens improved their photography skills with instruction from members of the Photo Phantom photography club.
Alex Harmon focuses on a shot.
After these explorations the group met back at the library to discuss good photography and what they saw: trash, graffiti, buses, flowers, vacant lots, manicured lawns, cracks along the Hayward Fault, and new school construction. They discussed the meaning of the words “city” and “community” and pondered how as teenagers they fit into these concepts.
Marisa Lomeli (right) points out something interesting on a walk.
From left, project director Shawna Sherman, and Neha Gupta.
That was the fun part, now came the hard work: organizing an exhibit. There were thousands of photographs to sift through and questions to answer: What did they want to communicate? Which photographs worked best? How should the photos be displayed? After much discussion, the youth came up with a title -- Hayward Through Our Eyes -- and let the photographs speak for what they found.
The photos they chose focused on the housing crisis, misnamed signage and the paths we take in life, both real and metaphoric. They expressed concern for the environment and awe in its beauty. They focused on details normally missed by those passing by. Through it all, the teens came to respect their city after exploring it more carefully. They began to see connections between the past and the present and how changes in the environment can lead to both good and bad. It was a project that led to self-discovery and pride in what they had produced.
The photos on display in the library lobby brought a pleasantness and sophistication to the bustling space. The exhibit offered library customers a break from reading and time to discover and reflect on the community through the youth’s eyes. Through this project and the teen’s photographs the community contemplated the city in a new way.
— Shawna Sherman, Project Director
