The program is currently active at the J. Paul Taylor Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Las Cruces, NM; the Girls School at the Youth Development and Diagnostic Center in Albuquerque, NM; and the Youth Development Program at the Santa Fe Detention Center in NM.
At each of these facilities two 13-week semesters are taught each year, with weekly 90-minute classes for up to 8 boys. There are always more boys interested in participating than we can accommodate; class size is limited both by the number of instructors and the number of available cameras.
The program is vastly more than simple "point and click" photography -- students are taught to use all of the manual controls of the camera, how to achieve special artistic effects, the principles of the digital darkroom, and how to do their own digital printing.
All of our instructors are professional photographers, and we are all serving as volunteers. In addition, we provide our own classroom materials and pay our own expenses. All the students use the same model of digital camera, provided by the program and available for the students only during class times.
Across the country there are many thousands of incarcerated young people, many of whom could use our (and your) assistance. Your gifts will help us expand the program to teach more youngsters a new way of looking at and relating to the world. Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation online.
If you are interested in starting your own local chapter of the Fresh Eyes Photography Project, please contact us.