Seniors in rural Flamborough may find themselves being photographed more than usual this summer, as an intrepid group of shutterbugs points cameras in their direction in a quest to show the challenges that seniors face in their everyday lives.

Manning the cameras will be representatives of Flamborough’s rural churches, who will ask permission from their subjects before photographing them in various settings and situations, such as accessing buildings or living in seclusion.

The project aims to “raise awareness of the obstacles or limitations in seniors’ lives,” said Rev. Tiina Cote of Rock Chapel United Church, who recently led a workshop for about a dozen area residents who were presented with disposable cameras at the close of the meeting.

By mid-August, all 27 pictures from each of the cameras will be processed and arranged for a display at a community-wide event on Sunday, November 8, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Millgrove Community Centre. Local politicians, members of the Social Research and Planning Council and representatives of media arts in Hamilton will be invited to view the display.

Rev. Cote said the photos will not only spotlight the needs of rural seniors but will hopefully encourage members of the community “to come together and address those needs.”

She said a seniors’ coalition might be one product of the Flamborough initiative. Such a group would advocate for programs that will help keep seniors in their homes, such as transportation services provided by DARTS. It would consider setting up a roving seniors’ ministry in rural churches that would take turns providing hot, nutritious meals for seniors or getting involved in housekeeping and home maintenance programs for seniors living alone.

The volunteers taking photographs this summer live throughout rural Flamborough, including the Strabane, Freelton, Carlisle and Rock Chapel areas. Members of the group, which is supervised by Rev. Cote and Rev. Bill Wheeler, of the Freelton/Strabane charge are: Linda Baine, Glenna Cranston, Muriel Lambert, Marg Hughes, Hella Raufeisen, Eros Callaway, Eileen Clugston,     Jan   Park,    Catherine Hiscock and Wayne Urquhart.

A guest at the recent workshop was FICS (Flamborough Information and Community Services) director Shelley Scott who will work with the group to facilitate programs to address the needs of seniors as identified through the study.

The initiative is a project of Photovoice, a participatory action research strategy using photography as a tool for social change. It focuses the camera lens on vulnerable populations and gives people the opportunity to record, reflect and critique personal and community issues in creative ways.

The international project has a Hamilton arm that has seen volunteer photographers in past months focus on a number of social issues, such as street youth and living in poverty.

The Flamborough project will zero in exclusively on seniors. Besides being shown at the Millgrove Community Centre, the collection of photos will likely be displayed at the Waterdown library or the Flamborough Municipal Service Centre, allowing for a greater degree of public exposure, Cote said. The project is funded by a Learning in Community grant from the United Church of Canada.