Children's Vision & Voices

...a community-academic partnership project featuring photographs by 6th grade children from Enrico Fermi School No. 17

The beginning of any academic year is a busy time for students and teachers. But at Enrico Fermi School No. 17 in 2003, it was busier than usual. The sixth grade classes were planning a community project that would grow beyond their wildest dreams…a project that would attract the interest and attention of Dr. David Satcher (16th Surgeon General of the United States) and schools as far away as Scotland.

With single-use cameras, the children set out to capture images of what they felt threatened health and safety in their community. You see, these children live in the Jay-Orchard Street area, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city; they face challenges every day most of us cannot imagine. The children’s images and text resulted in a publication, sponsored by the University of Rochester Medical Center and supported by Citicorp. The book was dedicated to Tyshaun Lamar Cauldwell (1991-2001), one of their classmates, who was accidentally killed by a stray bullet, which was the result of a disagreement between drug dealers.

The publication begins “…you will see the compelling photographs of the Jay-Orchard Street neighborhood through children’s eyes. You’ll also read, in their own words, about their frustration and the urgency of the problems they face each day.”

Then, the children decided to take their vision one step further. “Taking Pride In Our Neighborhood” Day took place on May 21, 2004. It was a day dedicated to working with homeowners, volunteers from the City of Rochester and the Rochester Fire Department, and many others, to clean up and beautify their neighborhood. Together, they picked up truckloads of trash, pulled weeds, planted flowers, and installed smoke alarms in neighbors' homes. Volunteers from Genesee Center for Arts and Education, Community Darkroom, captured the day on film. (The Community Darkroom photographers’ images also are included in the exhibit.)

“We hope you will be moved by these ‘visions and voices’ and join others to help improve the quality of life for these children living in our own backyard.”*

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* “Project Believe.” University of Rochester Medical Center, 2004.
To order a copy of this publication, please call: 585.273.3787 or visit Lake Affect Magazine.