Hibr

Nature through the eyes of youth

From July 18th until July 21st, 25 Lebanese youngsters showed their talents in “Nature Captured: The Power of Youth Behind a Camera”, a photographic exhibition at Saifi Urban Gardens in Gemmayzeh, Beirut.

“Nature Captured” is a project of Ibsar, the Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures at the American University of Beirut, and the exhibition was the result of the young photographers’ work over the past year. A total of 60 school students, aged between 7 and 17, from towns and schools all across Lebanon, participated in the program. Throughout the year, they attended photography workshops and worked on their skills. The goal of this program, according to project coordinator Miriam Mattouk, was to “create an activity that makes kids see nature differently and express their feelings about nature.”

Wassim Kays , the project’s field coordinator, added that this was “a great experience for the kids; some of whom had never been to Beirut prior to the program.” The program’s sponsor, The Coca-Cola Foundation, agreed. “‘Nature Captured’ is an ambitious community project for the youth, and the kids are extremely talented and dedicated and will become leaders in the future,” stated Antoine Tayyar when expressing Coca-Cola’s support for the program.

The photographs, as well as postcards, were on sale at the exhibition, with the revenue going towards purchasing cameras for the kids.

Surprisingly, the exhibition had not been planned when the program was created.“Their photographs were almost professional, and we felt like we had to show them to others,” said Mattouk. Under each photograph in this interesting exhibition was a personal narrative, explaining the meaning of the photo in the eyes of the photographer. The overpowering theme, of course, was nature, and the participants interpreted their views about it in artistic ways. “The outcome was nice and meaningful,” commented Rima Assi, 14, a visitor to the exhibition.