TakingITGlobal

88 # R I S I N G Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T V O L . 2 Y outh at the Tr'ondek Hwech'in Youth Centre in Dawson City, Yukon organized a trip to Old Crow to explore and meet the people living in this remote community of the Arctic circle. It all started when Vanessa Oliverio was joking with a youth worker at a conference about taking a trip to Old Crow. She ended up going on that trip and taking her camera along with her. As she explains it, "I was deep into photography as a hobby and I knew a youth photography book would be a worthy project." In September 2018, four youth ventured to Old Crow where they met community members to discuss some of the challenges that people face living in such an isolated community. In May 2019, a second group of eight youth went back to Old Crow for the Caribou Days event, a cultural community gathering that celebrates the return of the caribou. The caribou is significant in the Vuntut Gwitchin culture and serve as a primary source of food. On both occasions, the youth were shown around town by the locals, who shared their personal stories and experiences. They learned about the issues they face and how changes in the environment have fundamentally altered their way of life. "They were struck by the incredible beauty of the landscape and wanted to capture it in photography as a way to comment on the way that climate change is affecting people's way of life in Old Crow," reflected Vanessa. With the photography of the youth and the stories of the Old Crow community, Vanessa put together a photography book sharing the vision and knowledge learned on these trips. The book now lives in over 50 different homes and businesses across the Yukon and British Columbia. I was deep into photography as a hobby and I knew a youth photography book would be a worthy project. Capturing Climate Change in Old Crow Vanessa Oliverio A blog post written by Vanessa about the launch of their photography book.

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