HAF 2022 – Summertime! by Luke Shears
Delivering our HAF sessions over the summer, to various hubs across Southampton, has been one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had as a freelance educator. With each location, group of young people and provider, you never know what you are going to get. But, with that, comes the wonderful surprises of how young people think and approach tasks given to them. When putting together the list of activities for young people to take part in, it was vital that we have a range of activities that spanned the interests and abilities of ages 7 – 15. With this in mind we ended up delivering activities ranging from light painting to making faces with googly eyes. No matter the age, everyone loves googly eyes!
Meeting and engaging with these young people across the city filled me with joy as they slowly expressed themselves in ways they hadn’t had the opportunity to before. Giving young people the chance to use DSLR’s, something most people would assume is only for “older children”, was really special. There was a buzz in the air as they saw the cameras being placed in front of them and the awe of taking that first picture was truly great to see. As sessions progressed I could see their photographic eye develop from simple compositions to critical framing and even purposeful use of depth of field, and all of that from children as young as 6… incredible.
Having been out of practice delivering these kind of sessions to young people, thanks to the pandemic and the general course of my career, they didn’t come without their challenges. Teaching one set of young people does not always fit the needs of another. Adapting and shaping my approach to activities with each hub was key to the success of each day. Globefit loved their googly eyes and picked up the camera fundamentals with ease, while younger groups at Superstar Sports gave me the chance to simplify and change my delivery in a way that was easier to understand.
HAF was a great experience and it will be one that shapes my future delivery and implementation of activities to come. Young people had the chance to do something they had never before and I am proud to be part of the organisation that can provide that level of opportunity. Thank you to all the hubs involved and, most of all, thank you to all the young people I worked with over the summer, you were all brilliant! Below are a couple of images I loved from my time at Bitterne Park Primary School with Superstar Sports.