Shining a Light on Me project by The Personnel Group launches smartphone photography competition

Shining a Light on Me is an initiative for 15 to 21 year-olds across Albury, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Benalla, Wagga and Griffith.

Launched by employment service The Personnel Group in Albury this week, the project will hold a smartphone photography competition with cash prizes inviting young people to enter a photo that captures what is unique about them.

“Anything and everything that makes them who they are,” program co-ordinator Chelsea Fraser said.

“We want to see what their hobbies are, what their interests are, what their skills are or just share something about their story that the wider community may not know.”

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Miss Fraser said involving smartphones helped make the contest more accessible.

“We talked about doing an art competition or something like that but we realised it maybe wasn’t going to attract everyone that we wanted” she said.

“Whereas a smartphone, everyone’s got a smartphone and everyone has it in their pockets all the time.”

Entries for the competition close on January 4, to be followed by public voting online and then a pop-up public exhibition.

Future ideas for Shining a Light on Me may include a short video competition.

“We want to keep it new and fresh every time we run something so that it doesn’t get stale and we can try and attract different groups of young people each time,” she said.

“It’s just giving the young people the avenue to say it themselves.”

The Personnel Group chief executive Tracey Fraser told Monday’s launch at QEII Square young people were often overlooked and stereotyped by society.

“We want this to change,” she said.

“This project encourages everybody in our community to stop, think and acknowledge the contribution young people have already made in our community and will continue to make.”

Funding for Shining a Light on Me includes $19,500 from the federal government’s Building Better Regions Fund.

The Personnel Group regional manager Steve Fuller said the project also aimed to make employers more aware of young people’s diversity of backgrounds and achievements.

“Too often this cohort is seen in the media for the wrong reasons,” he said.

“Some of these kids do some amazing things that unless you’re talking one on one with them you won't know about.

“This is an idea to get a brief insight into that as well.”

More details available at shiningalightonme.com.au or Facebook.