By NICOLE VALICEK
STUDENTS from Bayside P-12 College are teaming up with volunteer organisation Gateway for a photography project to encourage volunteering in youth.
The project aims to connect the photography students from the college with the community through the lens of a camera.
As part of the joint project with Volunteer West and Gateway Social Support, students have been documenting Social Bites lunches and activity groups to produce a 2014 community calendar.
The project is funded through Hobsons Bay Council and will run for two years with the aim of providing youth with the opportunity to volunteer in their community.
Volunteer West general manager, Emma Sharp, said young people in the area were very socially conscious and wanted to make a difference in their community, but there weren’t always a lot of opportunities for them because organisations weren’t sure of the best way to engage young people.
Gateway Social Support Options manager, William Kelly, decided that Gateway could take on more young volunteers.
The two organisations came up with a number of new opportunities to include young people including performing at their monthly Social Bites lunch and helping to create a yearly calendar.
Tracy James of Bayside P-12 College said the aim was to develop community and global awareness and citizenship in our students.
“The project provides a wonderful opportunity for students to participate in direct, active support of a diverse cross section of their local community and contribute in a practical way.”
