Project Name: Preserving Memories
Submitted to Council: June 2002
Interview Date: June 2002
Planned completion date: December 2002

My GA project would consist of multiple workshops for children in a hospital and/or shelter. The workshops would deal with teaching girls how to take pictures and then create scrapbooks.

• Learn the purpose of taking pictures (memory preservation, documentation,
• Learn the basics of developing photographic prints using handouts, diagrams, and a demonstration without the use of chemicals
• Learn how pictures can be used in preserving memories
• Learn how pictures can be used to improve self-esteem and relationships
• Hear guest speakers about improving self-esteem and building relationships
• Learn photography composition guidelines (using balance, color contrast, simplicity, etc)
• Take pictures of friends and each other
• Learn how to and then take action-shots
• Learn the differences of studio portraits and snapshots
• Be photographed (with parental permission) to create a studio portrait to be used as a gift for the holidays

Post workshop, the girls would continue taking pictures to realize the effect of snapshots. I would pick up the cameras at a later date to be developed at a local processing center. Processing would be free to the girls through donations of local business such as Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or Walgreens.

Participants would

• Be returned developed film
• Look at pictures to decide what they do/do not like about them
• Speak with a counselor about their emotions when they look at the photos
• Learn how to preserve memories through the use of collages and scrapbooks (taught by local consultant)
• Create memory collages or scrapbooks using their pictures. Supplies would be donated by local scrapbooking and craft stores
• Frame a studio-style portrait to be used as a gift for the holidays. Wrapping paper and frame would be provided through local donations

I would like to hold the workshop for children at an area shelter or hospital. I also would like to hold workshops at A Place for Girls to reach Girl Scouts in my community.

How does this project meet an expressed need in the community?

This workshop will help underprivileged children look at their experiences in new light. It also would create new memories to preserve. I believe that many children are rushing through life too quickly and are not sitting back and enjoying their childhood. By documenting their experiences through photography, they will be able to share this time. I also think that children in the shelter/hospital setting would appreciate being able to see life from a different standpoint.

Who in the community will this project benefit?

This project will benefit participants in the workshop because it will improve their self-esteem, develop new skills that may turn into a lifelong hobby, and preserving good memories in bad situations. The family members of the participants would also benefit because they will be given a gift made by their child, which is something many of the family members may not have. Guest speakers and my fellow troop members would benefit as they would be exposed to new situations that would allow them to broaden their perspective.

How will the project benefit you?

This project will develop my leadership skills in organizing and leading the workshops. It will develop my communication skills while working with sponsors and guest speakers. My public speaking skills will be used when I speak to the girls and their supervisors at the workshops. I also will be able to provide a service to people who really need it. I enjoy working with children and want to explore the possibility of becoming a teacher; this will give me the opportunity not only to work with children but also to teach a subject I love.

What will be the lasting impact in the community as a result of this project?

Preservation is an important aspect of the memory process. Many people must document things to remember them; the skills the children will learn will last them a lifetime. Photography is forever; these girls would be able to look at their creations for a long time. The children’s’ communication skills would improve as they tell others about their creations and how they feel about them.

How does this project build upon your interests and talents?

I love photography and scrap booking; I take a photography class in school and have created numerous collages and scrapbooks myself. I believe it is a valuable and rewarding experience to take pictures and then arrange them in a lasting creative way. I would love to share this hobby with younger children.