Ōpōtiki Primary School – Visual Poetry Jam Workshop (7 April 2022)

Over the Summer we offered spaces to students from Ōpōtiki Primary School in our online photography workshop series where we taught the Click Happy method to teachers and students. The students struggled with the online aspect due to tech challenges however their teacher Faithe completed the program and decided to help us run a prototype of how the program could work from a train the trainer model. She took the workshop herself and then adapted the content to the local curriculum with our support.

We came and gave a two day live workshop series to the students in the program at the school and supported Faithe as she supported them to do our year long program. The end result is that the students explored their school values using photography as a tool to do so. And learned how to give each other constructive feedback on their imagery. They supported the local RDA with imagery, Worked with the youth leadership team to present to council on the Wharf development, and they ended the year with an exhibition of work that they had printed and sold and raised money to support the next group of youth to attend the online summer workshop and pay for data cards to support those with no wifi coverage.

The students were requested to come and photograph the Kaumatua at the local Marae at their Christmas gathering.

The students also helped codesign, and feature on a cover for the Create Happy Magazine. Create Happy Magazine ( https://createhappy.org/ )is the magazine that was created by the online students in the summer program. The magazine is teen run and amplifies student voice.
The cover was shot on an Avacado Orchard in Ōpōtiki and was highlighting the importance of bees.

Support provided by
Ōpōtiki District Council
Ōpōtiki District Creative Communities
COGS Mātaatua
New Zealand Lotteries