This year’s LEAD program at Britannia Elementary School, a designated inner-city school on Vancouver’s East Side, asked youth to capture photos that were metaphors for their community.
Each photo in their gallery-worthy compilation tells a story, produces a commentary on life in their corner of the world. Seeing their art displayed side by side, one sees a neighbourhood that is connected, one that celebrates and embraces diversity, one that has light in its shadows, one where poverty and affluence co-exist. It is a graffiti filled urban canvas where flowers push through sidewalk cracks in a community that is creative, bold, expressive and unique.
The photo below was taken by Hunter. He took it in the complex attached to the school, in an area that students and families pass through every day to get to the school, library and community centre. I, myself have walked by it many times.
Something about Hunter’s photo stopped me in my tracks. It hit me. It made me think. It was so empty. To me, its lines, colours and textures seemed stark, cold and dreary. I wondered why he had selected it.
Hunter’s explanation was both revealing and heartrending. It taught me to not just see a lifeless, empty space, but to change my perspective and envision what it could offer instead. In short, it did what powerful art does, it taught me to see things differently. Through Hunter’s eyes, I experienced what this space actually offered, to many in his community, ‘Shelter from the Elements’.
As ‘homelessness’ becomes more and more of a concern, both in his community and across the country, Hunter’s image reminds us to be openminded, kind, empathetic, and to not simply overlook or walk by what lies right in front of us.
In his own words:
Shelter From the Elements
By: Hunter
This looks like a small, concrete nook with three walls and a dirt floor. It is next to the VPL Library and it looks like nothing much, but it has so much to tell. The small nook is a guidance to safety for all the nearby unhoused people in this community. In addition, it provides shelter from the elements for those who may be cold. It is an important part of our community which is often overlooked. It is so important because we often reject the unhoused people in our community when they need us most. I hope this raises some awareness.
Thank you, Hunter. Your photo and the story behind it will continue to have a genuine impact on those who witness it, an impact that could lead to more compassion, awareness and change.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more impactful stories and photos created by youth in the LEAD program. You can find them here at www.youthleadarts.com