Soolkaama conducted a workshop with the youth of a tiny hamlet called Ichol in Madhya Pradesh to educate them to use the camera as a powerful device to enact change. The workshop was conducted in collaboration with The Green Hub, Tezpur, Assam and Dusty Foot Productions, Delhi

The aim of the workshop was to teach the kids to use a camera with a purpose and also to help them observe social behaviour from behind a camera and be critical of issues that yearned for a change in mindset.

The participants made video documentaries, including composing original soundtracks for stories found within the village that touched upon important topics such as recent river floods and its causes, challenges the villagers face with farming and the story of village women up-cycling gutka packets to make rugs!

When circumstances have stifled educational growth of children coming from less privileged backgrounds, alternative vocations such as filmmaking and photography can prove to a great option towards sustainability. The children love the mobile phone and to teach its use to affect change is a win-win, both economically and also socially.