Local youths were able to learn about the intricacies of the newspaper business and the world of advertising through the annual Art in Advertising camp held at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM).
Young people in the community had the opportunity to take a tour of the Estevan Mercury offices thanks to a partnership between the Mercury and the EAGM, learning the ins and outs of the newspaper industry, and seeing how the paper is put together each week.
The camp, which was held in July, saw the youths being put to work to create advertisements, which will be featured in this week’s edition of the Mercury.
Raven Broster-Paradis, who is the educator for the EAGM, said that the kids were extremely excited to have the chance to tour the Mercury offices, and all released their inner creativity when it came time to make their advertisements.
“Having a calmer, quieter style camp, that has a larger focus on creating art in different forms, has been a big switch in gears,” said Broster-Paradis.
“But we think that it’s gone over really well, and the kids seem to really enjoy it. While they are working there is absolute silence, they really immerse themselves and it's great to see them loving it so much.”
The EAGM offered several other camps for youths in the area this summer.
Art and Activity camp, which was held from July 9-12, saw children participating in activities such as bubble wrap painting, soccer croquet, giant Jenga and water balloon piñatas. Forts, Flags and Fortresses camp was held from July 23 – 26, and allowed the children a week of building, breaking, and exploring. I-magic-nation camp was held from July 30 to Aug. 2, and was filled with activities pertaining to magic, including potion and wand making, taming magical creatures, and learning to fly broomsticks.
The EAGM also boasts several programs for adults as well as a community outreach program for seniors in the community.
This years Art and Advertising camp had 12 participants from the community, each one creating their own unique advertisements to be featured in the Mercury, along with several other creative projects over the course of the camp.
“First all of the kids had the chance to make comic strips and super hero cuffs, then the next day they all wrote their own story, and then they did flip art and then they all got to work on finishing their ads and illustrating a fairy tale,” said Broster-Paradis.
“The kids really enjoyed walking through the newspaper offices, they were all really excited about getting to have a behind the scenes kind of view of how that whole industry works. We asked the kids on the bus ride on the way back if anyone would be interested in becoming a journalist or working at a paper and we got a 'yes' from a couple of them, which is amazing to see.”
“The kids are all really excited to see the stuff they’ve created in the newspaper, it’s like a little taste of being famous for them. I think some of the parents might actually be more excited than the kids, I’ve had lots of the parents asking me when they can see what the kids have made.”
