School Visual Poetry Jams 2023/2024

 

More information is available further down the page.....

These programmes are provided at NO COST to the school (thanks to your local COGS - Community Organization Grants and Creative Communities).

 

How do I register?

 

 

 

Schools register here

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
A letter of support would be greatly appreciated for our funding reports. This letter will also greatly improve future funding for events happening again in your region.

Read about our program in the Education Gazette -

A Visual Poetry Jam is a free full-day visual storytelling workshop

 

 

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A Visual Poetry Jam

IMG_9546 - Mavis Pollard

For your most gifted young visual storytellers

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Help create a national exhibition of youth photography.

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Students who attend are able to attend a year-long online innovation and visual storytelling mentorship program for free

Quick Outline of Click Happy in Schools

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Your Instructor is a past winner of New Zealand's Creative Photographer of the Year

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Who is the workshop for?

  • Students year 7+
  • Creative artsy kids
  • Youth with an interest in photography or visual storytelling or filmmaking

What do students bring with them?

  • Cellphone, Tablet, or camera (or the school can provide them - we have 8 that we can share out but it is best if students can learn on what they will continue to have access to)
  • "A Treasure" is something that is really important to the student that they will photograph against multiple different coloured backdrops
433EB5D9-94FB-44BF-977F-2D0DDB1FD627 - Faithe Hanrahan
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Where are the workshops held?

  • Either in a local library with other schools or in your school.
  • Whangarei workshop will be held in the library.

What does the school need to contribute?

  • A room that we can use the whole day (if it is held at your school)
  • 10 students if held in a library out of school or 20 students if held at your school
  • a teacher, teacher's aid, or parent helper for the day.
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What does it cost?

It is free thanks to funding from the Local COGS and/ or Creative Communities Committee.

When are there spaces available?

We travel the country in a vintage caravan filled with our treasures and tech.  When we are coming to a region we will contact schools at least a month in advance and let you know that there is a space available.  If the times and dates work for both you and us then we get booked in for a session.   To get on the waiting list you just need to fill in the form at the bottom.

 

 

 

What happens on the day?

3 mini innovation workshops:

    • What happens on the day?

      • 9:00 Arrival - Karakia + Pepeha -
        • Karakia and introduction of Gritty and Mandi
        • We hand out wipe boards and ask the kids to tell us about themselves
        • 0930 til Morning Tea-
        • Selfie Compassion workshop-
          • We focus on getting under the hood of the tools available on our devices, and then we shift gears into learning the power of composition to alter storytelling abilities.
        • After Morning Tea - Lunch - The Monochromatic Rainbow
          • Boxes of colourful fabric and props are brought out and turned into creativity stations.
          • Students are invited to photograph their treasure amongst the items.
        • After lunch - Postproduction
          • Students are taught how to improve their images in Lightroom.
          • They are asked to submit their top 5 images to the exhibition.

    You learn how to:

      • Change exposure on your camera - helps to keep people from being silhouetted against the sun when you don't want that.
      • Blur the background in portraits
      • Composition techniques to improve people's response to your work.
      • Edit your work for the "wow" factor.
      • All through creative experimentation

We are making a national rainbow exhibition of creative student work.

Selected work from your students will be included in that exhibition.

 

 

 

What happens after the workshop? - Click Happy Online

 

 

 

 

 

About the lead facilitators

 

 

 

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Mandi Lynn the Photographer + Gritty the Irishdoodle + Frankie the caravan

Mandi

Mandi Lynn is a past winner of New Zealand's Creative Photographer of the Year and Click Happy is a passion project that got out of control.  It started in response to a statement of body shame in her 5-year-old niece.  There is a national photographic exhibition on self-compassion, a film, a youth program, and a TEDx talk in between her niece's comment and Click Happy.  Over the pandemic, Click Happy has grown from a codeveloped local workshop to a national program.  Mandi has been grabbing the tiger by the tail and going on a wild ride with it.  She is currently on the road half the year putting on workshops, and co-running Click Happy online with the student leaders in the program.  She is doing her Masters of Social and Community Leadership on the subject of educating for an innovation mindset at the University of Auckland.

Gritty

A two-year-old Irishdoodle (Irish setter with a standard poodle) with a wicked sense of humour.  She LOVES kids and bunnies and balls.  She is a photographic service dog that loves to teach kids how to photograph moving objects and is a practised model.   She also is a social lubricant bringing kids together and creating a safe space for kids who just need a cuddle with a walking teddy bear.  (for schools that don't allow dogs we have alternative means of teaching her part and she will stay in the caravan or will go to doggie daycare)

Frankie (Lil' Frankenstein)

Frankie was brought back from the dead by Craig our tech guru and apparently caravan renovator.  She was a tin shell full of holes of a 1960 Lightace that leaked like a sieve.  But Craig poured his heart and soul into her and brought her back to life and into a snug office and sleepout on wheels for Mandi and Gritty to use on the road.

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Click Happy Students have taken out the top Young Photographer prizes in New Zealand

 

 

New Zealand Geographic Young Photographer of the Year 2022

Matteus won New Zealand Geographic Young Photographer of the Year.

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Matheus was in our first intake of students online and even thought he is still in high school he is already getting commercial gigs.  He is one to watch with an absolute obsession and flair for current urban storytelling.

He tinkers, experiments, and really pushes the medium to see what it is capable of.

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De Ruiter Young Photographer of the Year 2022

Ava Thomas won the $5000.00 prize package

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Ava is one of those dark horses.  A quiet observer of life combined with a work ethic that is second to none.  She has already shot for Shepardess magazine and her calm nature allows her to blend in and really catch the reality of a scene.   She specializes in pet photography and portraiture.

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2023 NZ Geographic Environmental Photographer of the Year - She beat out pro adult photographers - Sophie Hansen

 

Young Photographer of the Year - Auckland Festival of Photography 2022 - Sophie Hansen

 

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Sophie (14) aka Dr. Doolittle is often found with her hand reared menagerie following her on her shoots (a duck, a starling, a deer).  She is a country girl living on a sheep and beef farm in the Waikato.  We met at a library workshop in Te Kauwhata where Sophie was so excited to join in because she loved photography.   She was an active member of our online program for the last year and has just taken out Auckland Festival of Photography's Young Photographer of the Year.   Her passion project is focusing on a Wildlife park in Hamilton that is at risk of being destroyed due to road construction.  She is trying to use her photography to impact change for the non profit.

All photography on this site has been taken by Click Happy Students in the online master class.  Many of the students didn't know how to photograph before they started.

Get on the waiting list for the spaces in your region.  We will contact you when we have confirmed the days, times, and venues.

 

Amber13

I've of course become more confident in my photography skills but also I have learned persistence and becoming a more strong and independent person.

Amber - 13 - Caramel College

Kriya14

For me Click happy was a great way to extend further outside my comfort zone. I have never really been somebody who liked posting pictures of myself but Click Happy has been a really great space in experimenting with self portraits and other various skills. I have learned that perfection isn’t everything and that even if I don’t finish something, tomorrow gives me reason to try harder and create something new and inspiring. I am not afraid to fail, I am more experimental and I have gained more experience through this course.

Kriya - 14 - Carmel College

Jessie12

I used to be a very shy and nonindependent person, Click Happy helped me learn that I can be myself, I know that i have Definitely grown as a person this summer. I enjoyed Meeting new people, having such a great teacher and student mentors (Mandi you are always so supportive and positive. You give me feedback that makes me so happy and feel like I have accomplished something). I also really liked doing new challenges eg things u would never do.

Jessie - 12 - St Josephs (2021) St Kevins College (2022)

Our wonderfully amazing brilliant funders & sponsors

Every Body Is A Treasure Charitable Trust
Funders & Sponsors 2020/2021/2022/2023/2024
Lotto Scale-Up Wellington Community Trust ANZ

  • Far North
  • Rodney North Shore
  • Waitakere City
  • Manukau
  • Papakura Franklin
  • Kirikiriroa / Hamilton City
  • South Waikato
  • Rotorua
  • Tongariro
  • Hutt Valley
  • Wellington
  • Central Otago
  • Coastal Otago / Waitaki
  • Wairarapa
  • Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga
  • Tamatea / Tamaki-Nui-A-Rua
  • Great Barrier
  • Manawatu / Horowhenua
  • Whanganui / Waimarino / Rangitikei
  • Auckland City
  • South Taranaki
  • Marlborough
  • Mataatua
  • Whangarei / Kaipara

  • Invercargill
  • Henderson
  • Kaipatiki
  • Masterton
  • Manukau
  • Waikato
  • Hamilton
  • Wellington
  • West Auckland
  • Papakura
  • North Shore
  • Waitomo
  • Rangitīkei
  • Dunedin
  • Taupo
  • Whangarei
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Cossie Club
Thames District Council Auckland City Council Papakura Local Board

And Youth Librarians! We had no idea how amazing these community treasures are until recently! Thank you to all of the Youth Librarians who have seen the beauty in the project and have invited us to bring it to their region and who are helping to spread the word. You have halved our work and quintupled the number of youth who get to experience this program. What gifts!

School Visual Poetry Jams 2023/2024

Updated on 2024-02-14T14:44:21+13:00, by Mandi.