Over 50 members of the community attended the event, an audience drawn from across Greater Boston, including members of Peace in Focus. Peace in Focus is a Boston-based, global non-profit organization that strives to build critical life skills, enact social change, and foster healthy relationships through the combined use of photography and leadership training programs. The exhibition demonstrated the young leaders’ ability to capture on film the essence of identity, an objective many find difficult to simply articulate, let alone portray in a photograph.

Kate Fedosova, Co-Founder and Director of Peace in Focus, shared with the audience stories behind three of her favorite photographs on display. “The power of photography is that it breaks down some of those barriers and it creates a connection,” said Ms. Fedosova while describing a photograph of children mimicking the photographer, who is a former child soldier.

Throughout the evening, several teenagers and young adults shared their stories of how Peace in Focus has made an impact on their lives. A recurring theme was how the youth have used photography as a way to explore their identity. “I am different. I am a Somalian, a man with great dignity. […] If you ask me who am I, the best answer I can give you is I am a Somalian,” Abdirashid Mohamed shared during the Spoken Word portion of the program.

USES has been working to build a strong community through the arts and culture, among many other endeavors, in Boston’s historic South End/Lower Roxbury for more than 120 years. Various events are held at USES throughout the year to enrich the neighborhood. For more information about USES, please visit www.uses.org.