How photography project will teach students about climate change

What is the first step to defeating climate change? For our city’s high school students, it’s as simple as picking up a camera.

Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 students and their homeschooled equivalents across the Toowoomba region are invited to get snap happy and find their voice in the lead up to the 2021 Youth Summit.

How do you teach students as young as 15 about the impact they can have on the environment, and the way climate change affects their every day lives?

For the students of Toowoomba, it starts with picking up a camera, and simply observing the way the world around them survives.

The Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment organisation has launched the PhotoVoice project, which encourages high school aged students to gain an understanding of climate change, and how the impact they have on the environment today will continue well into their adulthood and beyond.

HOPE President Frank Ondrus said the project was an easy way to get students, particularly between grades 9 and 12, thinking about the world around them.

HOPE President Frank Ondrus. Picture: Stuart Cumming

“PhotoVoice is a long-established method in community capacity building,” he said.

“As the name implies, the process uses self-generated images and captions to help participants have a ‘voice’ and articulate their interests and concerns around some problematic situation.

“For example, the community impacts of environmental pollution or uncontrolled climate change.”

City students are invited to get “snap happy” in the; lead up to the Youth Summit hosted at St Ursula’s College.

The Youth Summit will be held on Zoom from Monday, April 19 to Thursday, April 22 with daily sessions running from 4 to 5pm.

Students will be given the opportunity to hear from government, industry, academia and community group representatives on matters of environment, social justice, heritage and animal welfare.

Participants are invited to submit a photo, video, or drawing of an issue they find concerning with a short explanation (about 30 words) of the submission.

All projects must be submitted to HOPE by April 16.

For more detailed information on the PhotoVoice project, email HOPE at [e-mail].