Winner of the 2011 Amy Biehl Youth Spirit Award

Huge congratulations to Meghan Daniels who won the Amy Biehl Youth Spirit award at the CTICC on Saturday, 27 August.

In a joyous occasion last night, 27 August, Meghan Daniels was awarded the Amy Biehl Youth Spirit Award.  With her were the members of her Ilizwi Photography Club.

There were four finalists and each was asked to outline his/her project.  Meghan explained that the inspiration of her project had come from a Leadership Conference she had attended where participants were challenged to initiate a Community Action Project. The school will know that one of her great loves is Photography. Fully cognisant of the fact that “a picture is worth a thousand words,”  and that she had a voice with which to speak about her concerns, she wondered what happened to the words of people in disadvantaged communities.

From this was born the Ilizwi (meaning “voice“ in Xhosa) Photography Club. Meghan interviewed and selected 10 students with whom to travel on what has become remarkable journey. For ten weeks her students have been using their cameras to document issues within their community and last night, accompanying her to the award ceremony at the CTICC, they documented and celebrated their teacher’s achievement.

In what I suspect was a pivotal lesson, she told us of how of an exchange that she had had with one of her students.

“Won’t you pass that camera to me quickly, please?”
“What did you just say?”
“I said, ‘just pass me that camera quickly’ “
“That is not a camera,” was the comment. “That is my weapon. My weapon of change.”

It was in that lesson that she was renamed Meghan Sinesipho (meaning “we have a gift”) Daniels.

The voices of Ilizwi Photography club members are powerful and their protest is strong. The photographs taken by these young people are extraordinary. Meghan has documented some of this journey on Facebook and on the Iliziwi Photoclub website.

We are immensely proud of you, Meghan, and celebrate with you this significant award.