#auto documentation

After an early morning of frustrating lateness and overreactions to it, we arrived at Kalunga Primary School for the first day of Trail of Seed’s four-day children’s workshop. 

Each day we will meet for ninety minutes each with two groups of fifteen students (different students each day- 120 in total) and an hour with a smaller group of four that will remain the same each day.  After playing a quick introduction game we then start the process of introspection. For the first part we split the students into groups of three and give each group a digital camera.  We then tell each student to explain “fun,” “school,” and “nature” in a single photo.  In the second part the students are given pens and paper and asked to draw or write whatever comes to mind when we ask about family, the role of gender, what they want to be when they grow up, and their favorite things.  We then end with a big thank you and a few comments on how all cultures do and see things differently but that through our similar fears, desires, and emotions we are all one big family, our differences secondary.  We hope that through their photos and responses we will be able to access what is important to them and also allow them to have fun.  Today I would say we did both perfectly.  Although they were shy at first they soon were all smiling.  We asked if anyone had ever used a camera before and not a single one had- but their pictures were incredible.   They took time to focus and find exactly the right view and were so pleased to look through them afterwards.  The drawings were also fascinating.  Shannon and I found it interesting how differently the children here draw faces but more importantly the attention to detail and well though out answers were more than we could have expected.  The best way to describe it is “real”.  The kids didn’t get bored by the assignments but really focused on everything and provided us with great material.  In the last hour we spent time more one-on-one with just four students who we will meet with every day.  These students were picked by the headmistress and the teachers and are responsible enough to take the cameras home everyday with specific assignments of photos to take.  Though again shy and very obedient to anything said by an adult, they all seemed very happy to have been chosen and I can’t wait to see what they come back with tomorrow.  I’m so happy that everything went so well today, I’m really starting to feel like our project will be a success and can only go up from here!