What we do
The Hope in Shadows project is vital source of income, job training and empowerment for Downtown Eastside residents. The project currently includes:
- an annual photography contest and exhition
- the publication of a calendar featuring a selection of winning photos
- an award-winning book of photos and stories about Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
- a vendor program that creates employment opportunities for homeless and low-income people
Photography contest
The annual photography contest was started in 2003 by Pivot Legal Society with the intention of giving Downtown Eastside residents the opportunity to show the strengths and hopes of their community -- important for a community so often represented negatively from the outside.
The photo contest is open to low-income residents and it's free to participate. Camera hand-out day is always abuzz. Hundreds of people line-up outside a local gallery to receive a free, single-use camera. Participants then have three days to take their photos. Along with $5 they get for returning their camera, each participant receives a set of their valued prints.
The images that come out of the photo contest show the spirit and humanity of this vibrant and challenged community.
Selecting the top images
A panel of judges deliberates for hours to choose the top 40 photos from the thousands submitted. Everything from artistic merit to technical quality to emotional impact is considered.
Once the top 40 images are selected, the winning photographers and subjects are contacted and invited to talk about their photo and share their personal stories. These stories are used to create captions for the calendar and exhibit.
Next comes community voting where the top 40 images are viewed and voted on by people in the neighbourhood. This year, the vote took place on the street outside Carnegie Community Centre. For the first time, we attached our mobile display to a cart and wheeled it around the neighbourhood allowing more than 1,000 people to view the photos and vote for their favourite three.
Award ceremony and exhibit
It's October when the much anticipated awards ceremony unrolls. The winners are selected based on the community vote. The first place winner gets $500 and multiple second and third place winners receive cash prizes, as do all participants who reach the top 40. Everyone gets an enlargement of their photo.
You can see videos of past awards ceremonies on our blog. Check there for exhibition listings and an invitation to the opening reception.
Calendar and Book
Each year, a selection of the contest's best images is featured in the Hope in Shadows calendar. The 2010 calendar will be launched on October 13, so stay in touch.
A collection of personal stories behind some of the stunning contest photographs was co-published by Pivot Legal Society and Arsenal Pulp Press in 2008. The personal narratives in this award-winning book are candid and moving and will challenge the way you think about poverty, mental health and drug addiction. Hope in Shadows: Stories and Photographs of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside has been widely recognized winning the City of Vancouver Book Award and a prestigious B.C. Book Prize nomination.
Vendor Program
Established to create accessible employment opportunities for people impacted by poverty and marginalization, the vendor program has become one of the project's biggest successes.
Both the calendar and book are sold by street vendors who earn a $10 profit for every $20 calendar or book sold. Every year individuals who successfully sell the calendar achieve personal goals, such as earning enough money to upgrade their living situation, getting off income assistance or making a trip home to visit family. Participants in the project say that selling helps them build their self-esteem, and that they gain new skills.
Last year, street vendors earned more than $130,000 for themselves selling the Hope in Shadows calendar and award-winning book.
