Choose one or more photo essays from the series, scroll through and then answer any of the questions below that you like.
1. The Magic of Your First Car
2. At This Mexican Restaurant, Everyone Is Family
3. Where the Band Kids Are
4. In This Nigerian Market, Young Women Find a Place of Their Own
5. At Camp Naru, Nobody Is ‘an Outlier’
6. For Black Debutantes in Detroit, Cotillion Is More Than a Ball
7. At This Wrestling Academy, Indian Girls Are ‘Set Free’
8. In Seville, Spain, These Young Rappers Come Together to Turn ‘Tears Into Rhymes’
9. For a Queer Community in Los Angeles, This Public Park Is a Lifeline
10. In Guatemala, A Collective of Young Artists Finds Family Through Film
11. On a Caribbean Island, Young People Find Freedom in ‘Bike Life’
12. At This Texas Campus Ministry, ‘Inclusive Love’ Is the Mission
13. For Young Arab Americans in Michigan, the Hookah Lounge Feels like Home
Students, first react to the photo essays:
Which of the “Where We Are” pieces stood out to you? What about them grabbed your attention?
Which of these communities could you most relate to? How do they connect to your life and experiences?
Which of them introduced you to something new? What did you learn?
Next, reflect on the role of community in your life:
What communities are you a part of? Which of them are most meaningful?
Choose one community to focus on. How does it affect your understanding of who you are? How does it support you?
Both the “Where We Are” series and our contest focus on offline communities grounded in specific places. Are online and offline communities different? Do you prefer one over the other? Is one better, in your opinion?
What communities have you been a part of in the past that have helped shape who you are today? For example, in “Where the Band Kids Are,” Ashley Markle chose to photograph the marching band at Ravenna High School because she was once a member. Is there a community you remember fondly?
Then, brainstorm some interesting local communities that you are NOT a part of:
What comes to mind right away when we ask about communities in your area that you are not a part of, but that you might be curious about? (Keep in mind that the people in them don’t have to be teenagers — it could be your grandma’s Mah Jong group, your little brother’s Boy Scout troop or that adult cricket team you see playing every Saturday morning.)
Using the “Where We Are” series as inspiration, consider:
Who gathers in your local parks?
What businesses — whether restaurants, cafes, gyms, salons, stores, museums or libraries — are popular in your area? Do groups meet regularly in any of those places?
What are the different communities that make up your school? Think about clubs and sports, about the various physical places where people gather, and about groups that meet before, during and after the school day. Consider, too, groups whose members are both older and younger than you. Which of them especially interest you? Why?
What religious or spiritual groups are in your local area? How do they create a feeling of belonging for their members?
What cultural, racial or ethnic identity communities — like the summer camp for Korean American youth or the debutante balls for young Black men and women in Detroit — are a part of your neighborhood or school?
What local work-related communities are you aware of, whether the work is paid or volunteer? For instance, at a hospital you might find many communities, whether emergency room nurses or volunteers who bring animals to visit sick children.
Are you aware of any hobbyist groups who meet in person nearby? Whether it’s Dungeons and Dragons players, bird-watchers, knitters, skateboarders, dancers or muralists, these kinds of groups might be invisible to you until you look for them.
What local or national political candidates, parties or interest groups have an office or a meeting spot near you? Who is a part of those communities?
What fan communities do you know about, whether they follow a sports team or a local musician?
Are there odd or overlooked places in your neighborhood that have become gathering places? For instance, some communities have a “swap shack” at the local dump where people meet to give and get items for free. In other communities, a parking lot becomes a hangout on warm nights.
Finally, choose a group you are not a part of, and answer these questions:
If these questions got you excited, consider entering our contest, which is open through March 20. Our forthcoming how-to guide can help you take your answers to these questions and create a photo essay. Learn more here.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
