How I See It — My Place
Yuba City, Sutter County
Photographers' Statement:
Have you ever wondered if a program exists that gives the youth hands on interaction with their environment? “How We See It”… is a perfect example of a great program that does just that getting teens (from Yuba City) involved in their community to learn new skills and discover a new love for their city. This project is about getting to know the place where we live and discovering meaning in it.
Twelve teens were chosen for this ten week program and we set out with a camera in our hand, to explore our neighborhood. On each of our weekly explorations we focused on one of the four “Big ideas”: Palimpsest, Transformation, Mystery, and Serendipity (which will be further explained) as a guide for what to look for. We went walking everywhere so that we were put directly in touch with the world around us and it was easier for us to observe and comprehend it.
We explored and were challenged to think critically about what we saw. We also developed awareness, critical thinking, the ability to analyze and integrate knowledge, and to develop our own interpretations of the world. We learned to use both photography and writing to record and document our observations and share them with others.
Finally we come to the end, and hope this project results in a greater awareness in our community of what is hidden below the surface. All of us are hoping that this project will help people see their community from a different perspective.
— Jessica Martinez
