BDC Youth Photo League
The BDC Youth Photo League is a documentary photography and college success program serving middle through high school students.
Our free afterschool and summer documentary photography programs teach middle and high school Bronx students to use photography, writing, and research to explore social justice issues and prepare them for college and future careers. The program includes visits with internationally-renowned photographers, field trips to major cultural institutions and media outlets, and opportunities for life-changing national and international travel. BDC Youth Photo League students and families also participate in extensive college prep programming, including one-on-one counseling, financial aid workshops, and college tours. All materials are provided by the BDC.
Questions about the program or the application? Visit our FAQ's page here.
Email us at education@bronxdoc.org or BDC Youth Education Manager, Ricardo J. Partida at ricardo@bronxdoc.org
Reach us by phone at 614-254-2234
Please note the classes are all IN-PERSON and held at the Bronx Documentary Center Annex, located at 364 E. 151st St, Bronx, NY 10455.
FujiFilm has generously provided equipment used in the program.
BDC Youth Photo League 2023-2024 After-School Program
APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED FOR THE 2023/24 SCHOOL YEAR
MIDDLE SCHOOL (6th-8th Grade)
Program dates: September 27, 2023 - May 31, 2024
Wednesdays, 4:15-6PM
HIGH SCHOOL (9th-12th Grade)
Documentary Storytelling
Program dates: September 26, 2023 - May 31, 2024
Tuesdays + Thursdays, 4:30-6:30PM
BJPL Summer Program
APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY OPEN FOR THE 2024 SUMMER PROGRAM
Summer Program runs July 1 - August 2, 2024
The BDC Youth Photo League offers a free six-week summer program tailored for middle schoolers, focusing on newspaper, zine, and photobook creation, alongside a dedicated video storytelling course designed for high school students. Questions about the program or the application? “Drop-in” during the YPL Open House on Friday, April 19, anytime from 12pm-7pm or contact Pamela Rozon, Summer YPL Coordinator, at education@bronxdoc.org.
MIDDLE SCHOOL (7th-8th Grade)
Intro to Photobook Making
Wednesdays, 12-4PM + Fridays, 12-4PM
Application Deadline: May 13, 2024
APPLY HERE
**Mandatory orientation for accepted students on Friday, June 28th, 6-7PM
Students will explore storytelling with photography through the medium of a photobook, experimenting with collaging, zines, and sequencing, ultimately creating their own unique photobook. In weekly Creative Conversations, students will meet working photographers and editors to gain inspiration from their work and learn about possible career pathways.
Open to students entering the 7th-8th grades. No previous experience is necessary!
HIGH SCHOOL (9th-12th Grade)
High School Video Storytelling
Tuesdays, 11AM-3PM + Thursdays, 11AM-3PM
Application Deadline: May 17, 2024
APPLY HERE
**Mandatory orientation for accepted students on Friday, June 28th, 6-7PM
Using their phones and simple recording equipment, High School students will learn to report, produce, and edit video news pieces, telling the stories of the Bronx in a visual medium. This class will include multiple reporting trips to landmarks like Yankee Stadium and the Bronx River.
Open to students entering the 9th-12th grades. No experience is necessary! Cameras and other materials are to be provided by the BDC.
BDC Youth Photo League in the Media
'Finding Inspiration: Kids in the Arts' I ABC News 7 I SEP 17, 2023
High number of smoke shops in South Bronx worries doctors, students I ABC News I SEP 22, 2023
Young journalists put spotlight on city housing agency in student newspaper I News 12 I DEC 18, 2022
'The People That Are Within These Frames': A Community Offers Self Portraits | The New York Times | JUN 10, 2021
Bronx Documentary Center Uses Photojournalism to Drive Social Change | State of the Planet | AUG 5, 2020
Bronx Junior Photo League: Year-End Exhibition | The Eye of Photography | JUN 16, 2020
The Best Things to See at Photoville 2019 | Popular Photography | SEP 19, 2019
Cómo estudiar cine y fotografía de forma gratuita | Univision | DEC 12, 2018
Young photojournalists' work from the Bronx Documentary Center | CBS News | DEC 9, 2018
Bronx Student Photographers Win Awards for Documenting Their Communities | Vice | MAR 26, 2018
This is 18 | The New York Times | OCT 2018
Teenage Documentarians Show the Power of Photography | The New York Times | MAY 4, 2017
Emerging Young Photographers in the South Bronx | The New York Times | AUG 9, 2016
Youthful Perspective on the Bronx | The Riverdale Press | JUN 1, 2016
Learn more about the BDC Youth Photo League