MENA Newswire: Canon Middle East, (CME), the leading provider of imaging technologies has launched its 6-month program in collaboration with “Lens on Life”, a nonprofit organization supporting photography for marginalized youth, in Za’atari refugee camp, (Jordan), as an extension of the Canon Young People Programme (YPP) launched on 16 August 2022 in partnership with Everyday Refugees and in collaboration with Jordan Tourism Board.
The vision of YPP is to give young people the knowledge, skills and confidence to engage through visual storytelling, in contribution towards the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – especially through working with country NGO partners to deliver regional specific workshops. Moreover, it represents a way for the young people of Jordan to learn a new skill, engage in a cultural and artistic experience, while also strengthening their relationship with their surroundings through engaging in a visual narrative.
The 3-day workshop starting on 13th September led by “Lens on Life”, marks the first in the 6-month program in Za’atari refugee camp, where 30 students will be provided with Canon M50 cameras, lenses, and educational workshops with a dedicated agenda of capturing a sustainability development goal each month and engaging in visual storytelling about where they’d like to see change in their local community.
The participants are able to focus on any of the following goals: Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Climate Action. After six months of workshops, Canon will be conducting an exhibition of all the participants creative work around the theme of Sustainability and donating 4000D cameras to “Lens on Life”, so that they can continue to put cameras into the hands of young Syrian refugees in the Zaatari camp and their journey of visual storytelling can continue.
“At Canon, we always strive to support the next generation and give them a voice to express themselves. We recognize that young people have the ability to change the world and we aim to empower them every step of the way – our workshops are designed to ensure that participants can actively harness the power of creative visual storytelling to contribute towards the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Young people are the drivers of change, and we are proud to support them with the tools, resources and skills to help them unleash their potential and take positive action,” said Mr. Venkatasubramanian (Subbu) Hariharan, Managing Director, Canon Middle East and Turkey.
“Lens on Life is very excited to partner with Canon Middle East to amplify the voices of students in the Za’atari Refugee Camp, through the Canon Young People Programme, and provide them with a powerful platform to tell their stories to the world. As youth grapple with critical issues such as climate change and gender inequality, visual storytelling provides them with a powerful tool to speak up in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our partnership with Canon aims to strengthen their toolset and enable growth for generations to come. – Sam & Jack Powers, Co-Founders of Lens on Life Project.