Eastwood students’ photos to be part of
U of W’s Peace Signs Project
U of W’s Peace Signs Project
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by Carrie DebroneKitchener Citizen
April 16, 2015
Several students at Eastwood high school are hoping they can contribute to world peace by partnering with a unique photographic project developed at the University of Waterloo.
Peaceworks, a non-profit organization at the MSCU Centre for Peace Advancement, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo, launched “The Peace Signs Project” with high schools of the arts across North America.
The project involves high school students interested in photography taking photos of prominent leaders in their communities as they flash peace signs to show their commitment to peace.
Each student photographer then chooses their best
photos and submits them to the Peaceworks project,
where they are posted on social media to be shared. Some of the photos will also be included in a book to be published in November 2015 that will be sold to raise funds for Peaceworks.
“We value peace education and we want to inspire young people and equip them with the tools and skills they need to make peace - personally, locally and globally,” said Peaceworks Director Stephen Jarnick.
“Whether that means reacting to a social justice issue or creating more positive relationships in our communities, peace education is important for all of us no matter what our worldview is.”
“We want to promote peace education and non-violent conflict resolution. It ties in really well with our mission to partner with high school students to change attitudes and reduce violence in our communities and around the world, ” he said.
Amidst plenty of laughter, three Eastwood students photo-graphed Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic and Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky making peace signs with their hands on April 10 in several locations within the high school.
“It’s a really cool concept for promoting peace,” said Grade 12 Eastwood student Janine Foertsch, who also takes photos for the school’s yearbook.
“It’s also a great learning experience and a great opportunity for us,” she said, adding that she volunteered because she thought it would be interesting to meet local politicians and leaders.
“With the photos going into a book I thought that would be really good for our resumes,” said fellow Grade 12 student photographer Grace Stallard.
Eastwood students have booked photo shoots with K-W MPP Catherine Fife, the mayors of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and Stratford, the Stratford Festival, the Guelph Storm, the Imam of the Kitchener mosque, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and Youth Orchestra, and all of the police chiefs, fire chiefs and directors of education of the school boards in these cities. They have also completed shoots with Lyndsay Morrison of CTV Kitchener, Mennonite Central Committee Ontario Director Rick Cober Bauman and the Arn-Horn twins of the Kitchener band Courage My Love.
Eastwood visual art/graphic design teacher Sheena Gruber said the project is a “great opportunity” for the students.
“They can build their portfolios and their work will be published in a variety of media. The concept is exciting and I think it’s really got its finger on the pulse of current media. It will hit the youth through social media and other people through the publishing of the photos in more traditional ways,” she said.
Grade 12 Eastwood Collegiate Institute students Janine Foertsch (left), Anna Giesbrecht (middle) and Grace Stallard take photos of the Kitchener and Waterloo mayors in the art studio at Eastwood high school.
Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic flash the peace sign as they pose for Eastwood Collegiate Institute student photographers who volunteered to capture local leaders for a photographic project developed by Peaceworks, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo. The Peace Signs Project has been launched by the non-profit Peaceworks organization with high schools of the arts across North America.
Photo by Carrie Debrone
Photo by Carrie Debrone