Volcan Mountain Foundation

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San Diego County, California

Kids With Cameras Spring 2016

The Volcan Mountain Foundation's (VMF) popular Kids With Cameras (KWC) program is in the midst of its 2016 spring session. Partnering with Dana Pettersen of Julian Junior High's Club Timberwolf award-winning afterschool program, VMF's Jeff Holt and Janice Smith, along with parent, Dennis Cantor, led Jr. High students on an excursion to the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve on May 4th. The remarkable artistry of the James Hubbell-designed gateway and kiva at the trail head along with an abundance of wildflowers like lupine and Indian paintbrush provided ample material for the young photographers.

Spring 2016 Kids With Cameras students gather at the Hubbell Gateway, Photo by Dennis Cantor

Holt, himself a passionate photographer, developed the collaborative KWC program in 2011 with tremendous support from Kids in Gardens coordinator, Tricia Elisara and several talented adult photographer/mentors. The following year, four KWC students were selected to exhibit their photographs from Volcan Mountain at the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts annual youth exhibition in Balboa Park. Collaborating with Julian Pathways has since brought the program to budding photographers at the Julian Elementary and it continues to grow.

Maggie Schuett captured Jenna Fletcher's aerial at Julian Jr. High with a Volcan Mountain backdrop

Kids With Cameras seeks to enrich students' connection with nature by getting them to focus on nature through a camera lens, and nurture young citizens who are aware and appreciative of nature and treasures like Volcan Mountain. VMF is appreciative for another gift made recently by The Gallo Family Fund at Julian's Community United Methodist Church to support the KWC program and its work with Julian youth. A previous donation from the Gallo Family Fund purchased ten 'teaching cameras' for the KWC program.Thank you to so many in the community whose volunteer efforts and contributions have encouraged and sustained the KWC program!

The 2016 spring session will wrap up at the end of May, and as with previous KWC sessions, there will be an artists' reception to which the public is invited. Anita Nichols and the staff at Mom's Pie House will be hosting the reception at the Julian location on Wednesday, May 25th from 2 to 4pm. The community is also encouraged to appreciate the work of the young artists' works when they're exhibited at the at the Julian Library starting in June.