Tara Murray
An exhibition highlighting the issues surrounding youth homelessness has put some talented young Brimbank artists centre stage.
Concern Australia has teamed up with Igniting Change and Catalyst to host the exhibition which included photography and T-shirt design competitions for school students.
There is also an immersive augmented reality (AR) experience that gives people an insight into what it’s like for a young person to experience homelessness.
Catholic Regional College St Albans student Laticia won the T-shirt design competition for her ‘Cup of Cats’ design, which will be printed onto clothing.
Laticia said she entered the competition because she wanted to improve her creativity and art.
“I had never done something like this before, so I wanted to see how far I could go,” she said
“I was initially shocked when I found out I had won a prize. I didn’t expect my late-minute design to actually win the prizes for first place. I felt a little bit guilty and doubtful, thinking there were probably many other designs which not only looked better than my own, but also had much more effort put into it.
“While it doesn’t represent youth homelessness, nor does it make much of an impactful difference in lives, I thought it would be nice to draw a simple and cute drawing of cats, big and small, in one large mug.
“I would like to try designing more shirts in the future. I have gotten much more inspiration and ideas about what to draw next.”
Fellow CRC student Anghel finished third.
Anghel said he was set the task as part of a school subject.
“At first I wasn’t very interested in the competition but the more work and effort I put into my designs I realized how cool it would be to have my work featured on a t-shirt raising awareness for youth homelessness,” he said.
“I felt really joyful that I won because I couldn’t believe it at first. My design out of the many designs to choose from? I honestly believe that many other students should’ve won instead of me but I am blessed to have this great opportunity granted to me.
“I also wanted to give an aesthetic word to show uniqueness but for it to still be positive giving those in need for something to look forward to and for it to look great on different outfits.”
The students could either present an open design that could be used on a T-shirt to raise money for Concern Australia’s Steps program, or a design on the theme of youth homelessness.
The Steps program has been supporting young people who are experiencing homelessness in Melbourne for more than 35 years.
Steps Outreach Service manager Anne Mitchell said the exhibition aims to give young people experiencing homelessness a voice while raising community awareness about the issue.
The exhibition is at the Atrium in Federation Square from May 8 to 14.
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