Youth In Lens

Updated on October 17, 2024
by INPRO

Youth in Lens was a youth exchange that took place between 9 and 15 of January 2022. 25 young people from Poland, Hungary, Portugal, and the Czech Republic met in Rzeszów to develop themselves by using photography. The participants were challenged to create a whole photo exhibition which was organized at the art gallery in the city center of Rzeszów, the Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych. The photographies addressed the difficulties young people face in their countries and portrayed the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The project culminated in a public photo exhibition at Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych, a renowned art gallery in the city center of Rzeszów. Each photograph captured by the participants illustrated a social or global challenge, shedding light on problems such as inequality, climate change, and more, with an artistic lens.

Exploring Rzeszów and Learning Photography

The participants began their journey by getting to know each other through team-building activities, including a fun quest around Rzeszów’s main landmarks. This was their first chance to explore the city while bonding with their fellow participants.

In the following days, the young people received photography training from a professional photographer. They learned the fundamentals of photography, which they later applied to their personal projects. But this youth exchange went beyond just learning technical skills—participants delved into discussions on the ethics of photography, media manipulation, and the power of images in advertising and journalism.

Portraying Global Challenges

The heart of the project came during workshops focusing on global and local issues, as well as human rights. These sessions inspired each participant to create a photograph that would tell a story about a particular world problem. The photographs were taken, edited, and framed with the guidance of INPRO’s long-term volunteers.

A Successful Exhibition

The final exhibition, organized at Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych, gave the young photographers the opportunity to showcase their work to the public. Each participant had a moment to present and explain their photo, sharing the thought process behind their image and its connection to global issues. The vernissage was a success, drawing interest from the local community and engaging visitors in discussions about the power of visual storytelling.

To see more from this inspiring youth exchange, check out the photo gallery from the event.