Canon launches "Young People Program" to promote creativity and sustainability
For the first time, Canon Switzerland held local workshops as part of Canon EMEA's internationally established Young People Program (YPP). The aim of the program is to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to explore sustainability issues creatively and critically. The focus is on photography as a means of expression and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations as guidelines.
As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, Canon's sustainability strategy is based on its ten principles on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption and actively supports the 17 SDGs. The Young People Program is a central component of Canon's social sustainability strategy under the motto "For the future of people".
A prelude full of inspiration
The project was launched as part of the "World Unseen" photo exhibition organized by Canon Switzerland. This took place in Zurich from November 16 to 20, 2024. This multisensory exhibition combined photographs in relief print, Braille and audio descriptions to give visually impaired people access to photography and to sensitize sighted visitors to their perspective.
"World Unseen offered the ideal framework program to show young people how photography can be not only an art form, but also a powerful tool for raising awareness," explains Kim Jäggi, Sustainability Manager at Canon Switzerland.
Using the power of photography for positive change
The SDGs provide a suitable basis for encouraging young people to engage with important social and environmental issues. Younes Benmansour, B2B Business Development Manager at Canon Switzerland, explains: "The Young People Program empowers creative people to consciously address social issues with a visual language - for a better coexistence, both socially and environmentally. Canon's cameras serve as tools, the SDGs as guidelines."
The Young People Program is committed to the following three core pillars:
- Inspiration: Access to world-class content, devices and experiences to tell stories creatively.
- Education: Raising awareness of global issues through visual storytelling and critical thinking.
- Qualification: Personal development and strengthening of self-confidence through creative engagement with social challenges.
Insights and results
As a first step, the 22 students aged 16 to 18 from the Swiss Art School were given an introduction to Canon's sustainability strategy and the importance of the SDGs. They then deepened their technical and creative knowledge in a practice-oriented photography course. Under the guidance of a professional Canon photographer, the young people put what they had learned directly into practice. Their task was to take a meaningful picture of one of the six selected SDGs in an urban environment within one hour:
- SDG 3: Health and well-being
- SDG 5: Gender equality
- SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy
- SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- SDG 12: Sustainable consumption and production
- SDG 13: Climate protection measures
The resulting photographs showed an impressive variety of creativity and expressiveness. The photographs now serve as references for the young people's artistic portfolios and a selection of ten particularly outstanding works were awarded prizes.
"It was impressive and touching to see how deeply the young people engaged with the topics. Their photographs reflected not only creativity, but also an extraordinary sensitivity to social challenges. This shows the enormous potential that creative young people bring to the change towards a more sustainable world," says Kim Jäggi.
A look into the future
With this successful pilot project, Canon Switzerland plans to further expand the Young People Programme, extend partnerships with partner schools and organizations and run the programme on a regular basis from now on.
With projects like this, Canon is reaffirming its commitment to inspiring young people and giving them the tools to use their creativity for a sustainable future.
Source: en.canon.ch/sustainability/empowering-young-people/
