Most of us take pictures with our phones now. So the digital camera that used to come on every trip ends up in a drawer. Or a closet. Or a box in the basement with the charger that may or may not still work.
At Urban Ventures, those cameras get a second life.
Every year, people give Urban Ventures about 1,000 cameras. A lot of them ask what happens next.
Most go straight into students’ hands. In our photography class, students learn the basics: framing, light, how to hold still for the shot. But the bigger lesson is about attention. They practice looking for beauty in the places they walk past every day. The corner store. A little brother on the front steps. Afternoon light on Lake Street. They learn to see their neighborhood, and themselves, a little differently.
When class ends, the camera goes home with them. It’s theirs to keep.
Some cameras go to other local schools and nonprofits that run their own photography programs. They stay here in the Twin Cities, with kids and families in neighborhoods like ours.
And some cameras aren’t a fit for class. Film cameras, older models, the occasional odd one. But they still are a big help! We sell those and put the money back into the program. So every camera helps, digital or not.
Two ways you can join us
If you have a camera taking up space, we’d love to put it to use. Whatever kind it is.
If you don’t have one to give, you can still help keep the class going. A gift of any size covers what the program needs beyond the cameras themselves.
Both start at urbanventures.org/cameras.
