KAEE 2024 Conference

Ripple Effects is a photography contest designed to encourage young people from the greater Kentuckiana area to connect to water in their communities. This interactive session will describe the process contest organizers have developed for conducting this contest with the hope of encouraging others to establish similar projects in their own communities. One key aspect of Ripple Effects is the way diverse team members have come together to promote the contest, including staff from local governmental agencies, academic institutions, and arts and cultural organizations. In addition to the contest itself, photographers from the team offer workshops designed to teach strategies for creating effective photographs. Other members of the team have worked with members of the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission to create a Land Acknowledgement as part of our exhibit at last year’s Kentucky State Fair. And the team participated in a strategic planning process to create a shared vision and mission. There are also efforts to extend the project to other countries through the establishment of Ripple Effects International. The Ripple Effects team believes that by using photography to encourage young people to observe the natural world more closely they will be encouraged to develop a deeper appreciation of the importance of protecting local water resources and taking action to address environmental issues. Session participants will have opportunities to create similar collaborations in their communities and how to build on those connections to support youth in exploring local waterways through photography