We had an exciting and invigorating first month of after school programming at Baltimore United Viewfinders! Fresh off a summer break, our Junior Viewfinders program for elementary and middle school students jumped right into our Campaign for Change project, which you'll be hearing a lot more about in the coming weeks. We started the project by exploring a list of issues facing the McElderry Park neighborhood (which was compiled by the McElderry Park Community Association) and discussing which issues resonated with the youth. Then, the youth voted on which issues they wanted to focus on for our Campaign for Change project. Here are the issues we decided to focus on: vacant houses, the need for a recreation center for youth, and the importance of sharing good news about the neighborhood.
Next up, we dove straight into the poster and graphic design parts of Campaign for Change project. The Jr. Viewfinders used the templates from two famous posters, Uncle Sam's I Want You and Rosie the Riveter's We Can Do It, to make their own versions. They learned how to take portraits of each other, how to photoshop them onto the templates, and how to come up with a catchy slogan that would resonate with their audience. These skills are definitely going to come in handy when the youth make community-focused posters in a few weeks. The results were awesome! Check a few out below.
Meanwhile, our Senior Viewfinders program for high school students also got off to a great start. A lot of our high school students have been in the program for many years and have incredible skills already. So, they dug into the nitty gritty of graphic design. They learned technical skills and tips about font families, color palettes, and composition--and they went further. They delved into examples of how graphic design was used in social movements throughout history. They asked: How can we capture the energy and imagery of social movements and cultural moments of past and bring them to current problems?
Well, that's where we're at now. Be sure to check back each week to stay up to date with our projects!
