Day One: Learning Photography
The inaugural edition of the Skills2Stars Foundation Summer Skills Empowerment Program officially began, bringing together young people in Fredericton for the first day of what promises to be a transformational five-week journey of learning, creativity, mentorship, and possibility.
Participants gathered at Odell Park for a hands-on photography experience led by photographer, entrepreneur, and mother Justine Walker, CEO of JustineMarie
Photography assisted by award-winning journalist, photographer, mentor, and Skills2Stars Founder Sophia Etuhube.
Together, they welcomed 29 participants for an immersive introduction to photography.
This wasn’t a lecture. It was learning by doing. For the teenagers and mentors alike.
“I have never taught anybody what I know… but today went really well, everyone was a bit nervous at first but the more we got into modelling with each other and learning about lighting and composition everyone really came out of their shells,” said Justine Walker.
Students at the photography skills session
Young people aged 12 to 18, held professional cameras for the first time, explored camera settings, learned about composition, storytelling through images, lighting, perspective, and confidence behind the lens. More importantly, they discovered that photography is not simply about taking pictures. It is about learning to see the world differently.
Throughout the afternoon, the park was transformed into an outdoor classroom where youthful curiosity replaced fear and questions became opportunities.
Some participants had never touched a professional camera before.
“I am bad at taking photos but today I used a camera for the first time, took nice photos and got great feedback from the mentor,” said one participant.
By the end of the session, they were confidently adjusting settings, composing photographs, posing each other as models, and seeing themselves as creators.
Watching young people from different backgrounds learn alongside one another was a powerful reminder of why Skills2Stars Foundation exists.
Student learning how to frame a shot
The Foundation was created on one simple belief:
Every young person should leave childhood with at least one practical skill they can rely on for confidence, creativity, survival, and opportunity wherever life takes them.
As cameras clicked throughout Odell Park, another picture was calmly being developed. A picture of what becomes possible when a community chooses to believe in its young people.
Skills2Stars Foundation is a Fredericton-based youth empowerment not-for-profit organization committed to equipping young people with practical, creative, and income-generating skills through mentorship, hands-on learning, and community partnerships.
Empowering Young People for Life.
