October 10, 2007

HIV-Positive Youth Get Behind the Camera

Photographs of a yellow fire hydrant, a Miami sunset and a bird drinking from a fountain are three of the 30-plus pictures exhibited at Miami’s Dolphin Mall as part of a showcase from the University of Miami’s KOOL Kids program, a support group for youth born with HIV.

Each summer, the program’s HIV-positive youth engage in projects like car washes or bake sales. This year, however, they were given point-and-shoot cameras that allowed them to capture the city.

''Photography was a good project because it's like any other type of art,'' said Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation, the organization that sponsored the project. “It's like art or music. You see it or you hear it, and you try to understand someone's life.''

Of the 600 photographs submitted, the best will be exhibited at the mall next month. The exhibition will then travel across South Florida to help create dialogue surrounding young people living with HIV.