Lower Price Hill Youth share their voice through art

West-C, a Lower Price Hill nonprofit serving the needs of youth in the community, recently provided 34 youth ages six through 18 with the artistic opportunity to share their voice through poetry and photography. The ongoing project, titled “My Self, My World: Through the Eyes of a Child,” first began in November 2017 to provide youth with a healthy outlet to express their experiences through creative writing, and a way to explore their community through photographs. Cincinnati 2017 Poet Laureate prompted youth at Oyler School in Lower Price Hill, including students within Santa Maria’s Youth Development Program, to relate their lived experience through poetry and prose. Youth were also taught how to take photographs, practicing picture taking in the field, taking pictures that embody their self-understanding and their community, exploring aspects of their culture, their families, their peers, and their work and play. The photographs and literary pieces were displayed at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, the 2018 Appalachian Festival, the Lower Price Hill Mini-festival, and are currently on display at Santa Maria Community Services (617 Steiner Avenue). Funders of the project include ArtsWave and the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition.  West C provides LPH youth with educational, social, cultural, and recreational programming, as well as leadership development and job training opportunities.