Kids aim to capture city stories

The lively sounds of the steel drums filled the air at Sir Sanford Fleming Academy on Feb. 27 during a kick-off event for Our City, Our Stories, a photography contest aimed at getting youth behind the lens.

Guests were treated to the Bathurst and Wilson area high school’s dance and music talent as they helped launch the year-long project.

Canon Canada is loaning 100 cameras and 50 printers to be used by budding shutterbugs in schools located in the city’s priority low-income neighbourhoods. The project will also include state-of-the-art digital photography workshops to be held in different locations throughout the year. Winning pieces will be displayed in an exhibit at city hall in February 2010 and featured in a published catalogue.

The initiative will help showcase the talents of students who may not get the opportunity to shine otherwise, Mayor David Miller said at the event.

“It’s about giving you the chance to tell the stories of the city that you see everyday,” he told the students.

Kevin Ogawa, CEO of Canon Canada, said his company is enthusiastic about partnering with the city for such a project because it’s a good example of its corporate philosophy of kyosei, a Japanese term meaning all people living and working together for the common good.

Fleming student Chelsea Murchy, 16, said she is excited about participating in Our City, Our Stories, and plans to shoot everything from Toronto’s underground music scene to her rainbow-coloured stockings.

“Photography is something that everyone can do,” she said. “It’s just a matter of opening your mind and having an imagination.”

First prize is a Canon SLR camera and photo printer, and an internship in the city’s cultural services division.