EYES OF A CHILD
FMoPA's Children's Outreach Program: Literacy Through Photography
The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts offers children and youth from Tampa and across the bay an opportunity to explore life through the lens of a camera. The museum's children's outreach program Literacy through Photography is dedicated to the value that children's education through photography is important and can influence them in a positive way. We feel it is necessary that every child has access to creative outlets and also believe that these creative outlets can enhance their character, develop their academic and sensory skills, and offer them a greater potential to succeed.
The museum offers free digital photography workshops to at-risk children of underserved communities. Organizations and schools can visit the museum for an educational tour of current exhibits and schedule a workshop in downtown Tampa, or on-site at their location. Children are each loaned a digital camera for the lesson. The workshop lasts anywhere from one to three hours. Age-appropriate lessons are presented with assistance from other professional photographers and hobbyists who volunteer their time. The brief introduction to the basics of photography is followed by an exploratory photo hunt outdoors. Once each year, the young artists are invited to attend a reception at the museum where they will find one photograph from each child, framed and displayed, at our annual Summer Children's Show.
Volunteer
Our program would not exist without the commitment and help of its volunteers.
Please contact the program's director (through our contact form, or by calling us at 813.221.2222 if you have a love for photography and enjoy inspiring children. The program is completely run by individuals who volunteer their time to assist with the many duties involved in making this program such a success.
Previous children's
showcases have been on
display at the Spring Center
of Tampa and on tour at the
TECO Gallery of Children's
Art and Children's Board of
Hillsborough County. If
your agency, business or
corporate center would like
to display our Children's
Show please apply through
Angela Forero Moreno at the e-mail address below.
Angela Forero
Moreno, Director of Children's Outreach Programs:
Children's Literacy Through Photography Program
angela@fmopa.org
|
“I learned that there are so many different things to explore, so go out and explore!”
|
-Rachel, age 10, Young ladies reaching for success
+ SPIN - Tampa.
|
|
|
How do children see things? What do they have to say about what they see?
Expose them to a world through photography and you will know the answer to those questions!
|
|
"I think taking photographs is a good way to express yourself and to have fun."
|
-Helena, age 12, Asian Neighborhood Family Center St. Pete.
|
|
"What I found interesting about the photo adventure is that there are alot of good things to see in the world."
|
-Ceidi - age 13, Young ladies reaching for success
+ SPIN - Tampa.
|
|
Past workshops have included sessions with the Academy Prep Center of Tampa, the Alpha House of Tampa, Children's Cancer Center, Pace Center for Girls, The Children's Home, Joshua House, Metropolitan Ministries, +SPIN (Positive Support for Parents in Neighborhoods), Asian Neighborhood Center,
Taller Inter-Cultural
Hispano-Amercian (TICH) and others. We hope to extend our program to reach more locations each year. Please contact the museum if you know of a group of children who would benefit from our workshops.
