I have talked to so many people over the duration of this project - and I have all the usual fears of forgetting to thank everyone who has contributed. So I will keep these acknowledgements short, general, and heartily felt.
A huge thanks goes to all the young people who provided their feedback and input into this project - both in the focus groups and in the pilot project. I am grateful for your candor and willingness to make recommendations so that others' learning experiences might be made more positive. And to Ashley, Lome, Kevin, Christina, Jay, and Brandon - the pilot project participants - thanks for sharing your selves, you time, and your creative talents. Your patience and the quality of your work was much appreciated.
A warm thanks to Carole Wright, for bringing such enthusiasm and expertise to the pilot project as Instructor, and for helping me fine-tune the schedule and learning activities.
I wish to thank all the folks at the Barrie Learning Centre, particularly Bruce Sugden, Hanne Neilsen, Stacey LePage and Fraser Gagne for welcoming the pilot project into your space, and giving us the equipment and support necessary for the creation of a digital photography exhibition.
And a huge thanks also to Wanda Minnings and the Simcoe Muskoka Literacy Network, for graciously letting us use your boardroom and your amazing new computer and printer, often without much advance notice.
To Mary Reid and Frances Thomas at the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie - thanks for helping the exhibition dreams become a fabulous reality.
To Lynn Abbott-Lennox (VP Continuing Education, Simcoe County District School Board), Melanie Remonde and Joanne Prior (South Simcoe Literacy Coalition), Connie Morgan (Barrie Literacy Council) and Marty Tame (Georgian College Job Connect) ; thank you for all of your suggestions, feedback and support as members of the Reference Group for this project.
To Mary Anne Myers, a special thank you for putting forth the time, thought and effort into writing the initial project proposal, and then for all the work you did in the Reference Group and throughout the project to help it become a success including being the voice of reason and calm on more than one occasion!
A big thanks to all of the literacy workers and youth service providers who attended the focus groups. A special thanks to the folks at the Brock Street Youth Resource Centre in Barrie, and TRACKS in Collingwood for recruiting participants for the youth focus groups and pilot project.
To my husband, Kevin, a grateful thanks for remaining an objective ear during my creative journey through this project, for showing me how to use Adobe Photoshop, and for making dinner on more nights than I can count. And to my daughter Maya, for tolerating all of Mommy's time on the computer, on the phone, and in the "offish".
And to all the other literacy organizations, youth service providers, and young people I encountered by phone, in person, and in print while researching and writing The Photography Project - your work, your words, and your experiences are invaluable.
Photo credits:
Cover: Christina Telford
Overview: Kevin Revelle
Research Summaries: Lorne Middleton
Before You Start: Kevin Revelle
Schedule and Learning Materials: Lorne Middleton
Appendices: Ashley MacInnis