Eco-Photography

“It’s like a retreat on campus where students can pull away from their ordinary norms to have a different mindset and way of being, We focus on changing our inner conditions, rather than going away to a retreat center far away, so we can have a retreat experience right where we are.” - Ivy Yan

Eco-Photography:
Mindfulness and Deep Ecology through Nature Photography

In this learn-by-doing experience, we will be opening our hearts, thinking like advocacy photographers, and taking meaningful photographs to connect with the Principles of Harmony in Nature to then apply to the contexts of our own schools and classrooms. We will aim to take photographs that spark change both inside and outside ourselves. We will learn technical skills and use photography to be curious, thoughtful, and inquisitive. Our photography will help us to develop gratitude and empathy by changing both the way we see the world and how we feel on the inside about nature, others, and ourselves.

Bring Inspire Citizens and Eco-Photography to your school today!

Listen to:

Students take on the Eco-Photography experience!

Experiential learning: new option to engage students with eco-photography

SFS runs their Discovery Week program close to the end of each academic year. High school students have the opportunity to go on trips in South Korea or outside of the country, and most experiences have a focus on nature, culture or service. 

For students who prefer to stay closer to home, one option this year was Ivy’s week-long eco-photography journey, and the program was so well-received that Inspire Citizens will be adding this program to their growing list of experiential learning options. (cont..)

A New Perception of the World through Eco-Photography

When Shari Wejsa, a high school teacher in northwest New Jersey, heard about the Inspire Citizens’ Eco-Photography summer course, she signed up right away. A history teacher with a creative bent and interest in interdisciplinarity, she was excited to channel some of her summer into learning about connecting with nature in ways she could share with her students.

Fast forward several weeks and you find Shari reflecting on a deep professional learning experience that has challenged her to bring more creative pursuits into her classroom and, at the same time, look at the world in fresh, new ways. (cont.)