On November 25th, 2023, Philippine Centre Canada (PCC) hosted a Photography workshop as part of the “Promoting Mental Health and Well-being Among Filipino-Canadian Youth Through Art and Music” project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Canadian Red Cross.

This workshop was facilitated by the dynamic duo of Elda Almario and John Araño. Elda Almario is a registered psychotherapist from Pickering, Ontario, who runs her own private practice. Her clinic is called Larô Therapy where she employs play therapy with her clients. John Arano is a photographer and DJ from Ottawa, Ontario. His portfolio features the breadth of his skills from his work for the National Arts Centre to local brands. John can also be found DJing at local events around town.

Throughout the day, 25 participants were led through a series of photo journalling activities, as a way to express their emotions. The participants were prompted to think about what it meant for them to be cared for in their community and how they could summarize their past year in one photo. After John presented some basic photography skills, the participants were free to explore the surrounding area of Routhier Community Centre, where the workshop took place, and take their photos.

The resulting photos and explanations were deeply insightful and inspiring. The participants shared their individual photos in their small groups and each group then presented a collection of photos for the rest of the participants. Overall, it was a very fun and educational day.

Thanks to our workshop facilitators who thoughtfully developed the activities for the day and led the discussions. They were especially supportive and uplifting to all the participants. We’d also like to thank our funders and the board members of PCC for their continued support during these workshops.