Raised Voices: Youth Document Durham

Young people care deeply about the issues that affect their lives and the community around them. Their dreams for the future and their perspectives on the present—powerfully shaped by experiences with family, peers, neighbors, and the media—are as complex as the culture in which they live. Young people regularly speak out on issues facing their communities; yet without effective tools for communicating or sanctioned areas in which to speak, they often find that their voices go unheard. As we try to understand the changes taking place in and around Durham, the ideas and experiences of young people are valuable resources to consider.

Youth Document Durham's summer and after-school programs offer young people ages 11-15 the opportunity, through the documentary arts, to explore and talk about issues that are important to them. Photography, interviewing, narrative writing, and visual arts provide them with tools for deeper exploration and expression of their reflections and opinions. During the past year, young people from a diversity of Durham's communities learned about jobs and the economy through the Durham Works and Jobs That Pay projects. They explored race relations, hate crimes, and human rights in the World Wide Colors project. And in Why Teens Fight, they examined gangs, conflict resolution, and family violence. Through these projects, they also learned a great deal about themselves and each other. They learned to work together and to disagree; they thought about what it means to walk in someone else's shoes; and they felt the power of mutual respect.

This exhibition, curated by participants in Youth Document Durham, serves as a reflection of their projects and a forum for their concerns. It demonstrates the depth of their thinking and creative powers, the clarity of their vision, and a measure of their intense interest in shaping our future.

Youth Document Durham is a program of the Center for Documentary Studies, with support from the City of Durham and the Elizabeth Wade Grant Endowment Fund and the Claude and Adele Thomas Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation.