After the success of our pilot program in 2009, IMPACTO PROJECT headed back to Bocas Del Toro, Panama to once again teach photography to children in Isla Colon.  Our first full-program taught photography to 12 students, ranging from 10-11 years old.

This program was done in conjunction with faculty members and students from the University of Louisville, Kentucky Fine Arts Department and co-sponsored by the Latin American and Latino Studies Program.  Associate Professor, Mary Carothers, along with interns Nicholas Linares, Samantha Grose and Rosslyn Steinmetz, were mentors and assistants in the program.  During the exciting 3-week program, the children had the opportunity to explore and rediscover their surroundings and environment through their photographic lenses. IMPACTO PROJECT once again worked in collaboration with Marlon Smith, from the Smithsonian Research Institute, who kindly donated classroom space for the second year in a row.

The program had a very positive response from students as described by program intern Rosslyn Steinmetz, “As interns, we encouraged the students to change their perspective by lowering the lenses to the ground or focusing on detail with interesting framing. The final results were as diverse as our students, and each student produced pictures that were truly fantastic that could only be achieved through their lenses of fearlessness and vivacity.” 

The program was a rewarding experience not only for the children but also for the instructors who got to see a different Bocas through their students’ photographs.