The Centre for Filipinos, based at St Alban’s Church, Hammersmith, has set up a second, smaller centre near Euston Station. This, too, offers social and cultural activities both for the Filipino community and for the wider community in the area, and advice and support, particularly on immigration issues. Zoom In is a community photography and education project founded in 1997, and based at Clapham Leisure Centre. It aims to make photography accessible and affordable for all. Zoom In’s outreach programme offers photography training to adults and young people all over London, working in association with community groups, youth clubs, schools and voluntary organisations. Through these projects, Zoom In offers people the chance to develop their creativity, learn new skills, and see their photos on display.

Centre for Filipinos Photo Course
This was a short, 2-session course in camera skills, which took place on Tuesday afternoons from 2pm to 6pm at the Camden branch of the Centre for Filipinos (CF). The course was part of a project aiming to record the visibility of Filipinos and Filipino culture in the area. The Centre had recently bought a digital camera to help with this process, and wanted sessions that would enable members to feel confident using either this, or an SLR. This project was funded by (ask Jamie).
The participants reflected the broad range of ages and cultural backgrounds of the people who use CF Camden. There were 1st-generation Filipino adults, mainly women, and young 2nd-generation Filipino people aged 16-18, mainly boys. There were also 2 young men who are not from a Filipino background, but who attend CF with their Filipino friends. Some people had previous experience of taking photos; most had never used a digital camera before.
Participants learned how to use an SLR camera and a digital camera, and explored composition and the concept of using photos to document something. In the second session, they selected photos for display and looked at methods of presenting pictures effectively, as well as learning how to use the Centre’s computer to download images from the digital camera. The images produced were displayed at the Centre’s Christmas party, attended by community leaders, funders, and users of the Centre.

Evaluation
The group produced some very good images, both digital and analogue, and gained confidence in working with a camera and with the Centre’s computer.
The final course evaluation was done in the form of a group discussion rather than with evaluation forms, as the group felt that forms were a bit off putting. All the participants rated the course as excellent or good, and enjoyed seeing their pictures on display. All the participants received a certificate to mark their achievement in taking part in the course.

December 2003