One year ago, CHS and Seattle University’s The Spectator began working together in a simple but unique partnership that puts a working independent journalist (me!) in connection with talented young journalists in training (them!) for coverage opportunities and collaboration. Here’s a recent example. As part of these collaborations, we’ve agreed to share a portion of generated advertising revenue with area non-profits that represent things we hold dear — like taking fantastic pictures, for example. Last week, The Spectator’s big kahuna Frances E. Dinger (she’s in the middle of the photo wearing stripes and standing next to the old man in the black sweater holding the check) and I were happy to visit Youth in Focus to hand over a check as a gift from the partnership. Here’s more about YiF — thanks for being part of CHS and helping us to make things like this possible:

Image: Aaron Piazza/Youth in Focus

Youth in Focus’s mission is to empower urban youth, through photography, to experience their world in new ways and to make positive choices for their lives. We accomplish this mission by building a community of support around high school-aged youth and providing these students with a sequential series of photography classes—in both film and digital media—that are specifically designed to build a sense of self-worth, social skills, artistic sensibility, and self-expression.