• Charles Sturt highlights the voices of local students with free exhibition at Port Macquarie from Thursday 16 to Friday 31 January 2020

An exhibition showcasing the work of Charles Sturt University and local high school students will be on display at the Port Macquarie Public Library from Thursday 16 to Friday 31 January 2020.

The free exhibition, titled ‘Use Your Outside Voice!’, features a collection of stories crafted by students who participated in the first-ever Picture Justice Australia program, which was run over five-days in Charles Sturt’s Design Lab in Port Macquarie last year.   

“We’re so excited to be sharing the stories from these young changemakers with the community,” said Dr Willhemina Wahlin, one of the curators for the exhibition and Lecturer in Design at Charles Sturt.

“Our young people are so passionate about what they believe in, so it’s important they are given more opportunities to have a voice in our community.”

The Picture Justice Australia program focused on the theme of ‘community, citizenry and processes of democracy’ and featured a series of workshops led by a team of experts from the fields of civic education, photography, design, and education.

“We embedded Design Thinking in a really unique way, weaving it into workshops in civics, ethical interviewing, photography for storytelling, narrative development and story editing,” said Dr Wahlin.

“The aim was to not only provide the participants with a range of skills and knowledge, but to also give them the confidence, through these skills, to become more active citizens.”

The exhibition will highlight a number of issues that are important to the participants, including environmental sustainability, improving social connections, fast fashion and equity in leadership.

“We hope the program and the exhibition communicates to younger people that by exploring and talking about these issues, even if you start small, you have the power to make a significant impact in your own community,” Dr Wahlin said.

The Picture Justice Australia program is a joint research project by Charles Sturt University, Swinburne University of Technology and The Whitlam Institute, and is supported by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, PROOF: Media for Social Justice and the Posify Group.

A special event to mark the exhibition’s opening will be held from 5pm on Thursday 16 January at the Port Macquarie Public Library, 32 Grant Street, Port Macquarie. Entry is free and drinks and nibbles will be provided.

The exhibition will be open to the public during the library’s operating hours until Friday 31 January 2020.