Logan Havens and Professor Paul Adams, Department of Visual Arts

This experience has been one of the most beneficial I have had in my education at Brigham Young University.

I worked with my mentor, Paul Adams, to learn from a new experience. Because I have been given so much, I wanted to learn to give back. I have always tried to volunteer at home and abroad, but I often found my services negligible compared to what I have to offer. I have picked weeds in Russia, played with children in Mexico, sung hymns in a mental institution in Lithuania, and more. During all of my service I had never been able to use my most valuable skill: my photography. I created a project to photograph for Salaam Balaak Trust. This is the number one rated small non-profit in India based on transparency, use of finances, and effectiveness. Their cause was helping children from the streets, through school, and on to a productive life. I wanted learn to assess the needs of the trust, and photograph for them. Through the process my main objective was to learn how to effectively create powerful imagery to further their cause.

I emailed the Trust during the process of writing the grant. Over the next few months I contacted them often. I purchased tickets and worked with my mentor to understand my role in this project, and how to execute everything. I sent an email when I knew that I was accepted in the volunteering program and that I would be for sure coming. The trust responded that I would need to volunteer for at least a month and that I needed to go through the same process as all other volunteers. I responded that I wasn’t just a volunteer, that I couldn’t stay for a month, and that my photography would take no more than the time I was able to come to India. They didn’t respond. Two months later I found myself in New Delhi. I emailed before I left, and the day I got there. I called as soon as I could get a working phone. In the end I went into the office. I was prepared and ready to be as much help as possible. The manager of operations was not in. They gave me her number. I spent a while talking to one of the assistants and found out that their focus was on the city walk tours. I checked online and found that they were seeking a volunteer to help focus on marketing the tour. The tours earn a lot of money for the children in the homes, and raise awareness for the trust. I left and contacted the woman in charge. She was out of the office for the day, and was leaving the city for the next few days for a holiday, and would be back the middle of next week. She explained that I needed to volunteer for at least a month, or a few weeks at least, but that because she wasn’t there, and would not be, I would not be able to volunteer. I explained how I could do my job in a few days to which she replied that they already have images and did not need my help.

They had images, but I knew that the images could be more effective; they just didn’t know what I could provide. At this point I took matters into my own hands. I took what the assistant had said and formed my own plan to give as much as I could. I signed up for the city tour the following Monday. I figured I only had a small amount of time. I spent every day photographing the streets and people of Delhi. I photographed children and markets. I tried to tell the story of the street children’s lives. On Monday I went on the tour and photographed the whole walk. I created a story and an opportunity to prevent failure. Even though at the time the trust did not see the value of what I had to offer, I was going to create whatever I could and show them what was possible. In the end I flew back home and worked with the files I had to give. I put together a story and put together all of the images showing the streets, children, and the city walk. At the time I felt like I was failing. What I have since realized is that I did not fail; I just faced a real life obstacle. Although what I had to offer was free, and of value, they did not see what I could give. I took the opportunity to create my own project that would provide value for the trust.

My conclusion from the experience is this:

I decided I wanted to learn how to execute imagery for the purposes of non-profits. I thought it would be different, and I thought it would be easier to get them to accept my help. Instead I learned that even when you are trying to give and share what you can do, organizations are limited in what they want and what they are willing to accept. Therefore, I am limited to what they understand of my abilities and commodities. I appreciate the opportunity I had to learn what it is like volunteering with organizations. I am a step closer to my goal of finding a way to give back through my imagery. I was able to give, and I was able to learn. Paul Adams helped me understand that the purpose of the grant was not to have everything to go according to my exact hopes and plans, It was to learn and take away the best and most productive lessons. I did that, and I was able to share my images in a realm they could accept. I am grateful for the ORCA grant I received, and for the learning that will carry foreword to new and bigger projects