Nov 6th, 2009 11/06/09 | News

Class Act Came to Visit

For a week and a day just before Water Festival, 25 children at CCF6 got the chance to take part in a week of photography and cross- cultural exchange thanks to the 3 strong team from Class Act who came to visit CCF. Based in San Diego, Class Act’s mission is to foster development of the performing arts, visual arts and technology programming to benefit children in the local community and the developing world. One of their methods involves the creation and exchange of personal photo profiles between American children and their overseas counterparts. These profiles, showing the places and people that matter to each child, reach across space and culture to let giver and receiver know that they share the same planet and that getting to know each other’s way of life now can be both fun and fulfilling. So for an hour each day of the 8 day course, CCF6’s budding photographers were taught and thought about getting the right subject and choosing the right background. They plotted their angles, angled their layouts and most important of all they took real photos with real cameras. They created atmosphere and recorded action, caught their friends and looked at the world through different eyes. And they had fun. When all the pictures were taken and the folders created each of the new photographers was proud to gift their profile to an unknown child far away and to receive, in return, the words and images from a distant, friendly face. Everyone had had fun, everyone had learned something and everyone had helped make their world just that little bit nicer. It was indeed a Class Act for all. And how did the Class Act trio enjoy their time at CCF? “CCF made it very easy to work with them. Communication was clear and consistent from the time we started planning and throughout our time in Cambodia. Our liaison not only made sure the logistical side of things were covered, like transportation, meetings and class times, locations, etc. - it also felt like he was our personal tour guide to Cambodian culture and to CCF's history and activities. I felt like we were treated like special guests. And the kids - In class they were focused and participated with passion with everything we did. It was a blast to spend time with both the children in class as well as all the children who were outside of the classroom. I really felt like I made a personal connection with several of the children which was special for me, and I hope special for them too.” Dave, Board President “The Class-ACT Children's Global Art Exchange programs has reached a new level through the kindness and generosity we've been shown at CCF. We're looking forward to an ongoing relationship through which we can inspire our American children to become responsible and caring global citizens.” Niels, Executive Director “In meeting the staff and spending time with the children I found that CCF is a place where people live. It is here that these children, most of whom have been working on the dumps since infancy, are given the opportunity to live, to be children. It is incredibly humbling to be greeted with such warmth and a smiling face when one knows what desperate hardships these children have faced on a daily basis. This has been my great pleasure at CCF - finding the joy and energy that every child has and seeing it shine in an often grim world.” Jessica, Photographer 6.11.2009.Photo1 6.11.2009.Photo2 6.11.2009.Photo3 6.11.2009.Photo5 6.11.2009.Photo4
Written by

CCF Media Team

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