By Leah Vandenberg
11/11/11 is a numerologist’s dream, as well as a photojournalist’s dream.
That day, across the world, is known as One Day on Earth. It’s a day where photojournalists, videographers, documentary filmmakers and students record the human experience over a 24-hour period. The event was founded in 2008.
Loyalist College’s second-year photojournalism students participated in the event.
“I didn’t want to connect Remembrance Day with it, because that’s not all that happens on November 11th,” said Michelle Cochrane, a 2nd year photojournalism student.
Cochrane chose to photograph a pig farmer and his wife in Marysville, while they did their morning chores. She was working with this family as a long-term project, and chose to go back to them.
“I couldn’t find something else interesting, so I chose to go back, but I learned a lot of new interesting facts about them” she said.
For example, she learned that the wife of the pig farmer emigrated to Canada from Germany after visiting Canada on a vacation about 16 years ago. She met her husband, and came over about two years later. She was also a nurse while in Germany. The two now also have three children.
The event was founded in 2008, and the first media creation was 10/10/10. It happens each year on the consecutive number. Next year’s event will be on 12/12/12.
Another student, Tristan Kong, chose to photograph Belleville Association of the Deaf’s 25th anniversary. Kong chose that event because he is deaf, and has no problem associating with deaf people.
“It’s something I want to document for my deaf culture, and community, that I am proud of where I am. So I want to show the earth that we, deaf people, have our own language and culture that should not be rejected,”
Regions as far as Antarctica, the Middle East and Oceania participated in One Day on Earth.
2010’s event had over 3000 hours of video, with over 60 non-profit organizations participating.
Students heard about the event from their documentary teacher, Patti Gower, who wanted them to participate.
“We had to find an event, or something we were interested in to shoot,” said Sarah Scofield, who shot the same event as Kong.
“We have a student in our class who’s deaf, just learning from him the past two years, there’s a whole different side you don’t get to see,” said Scofield.
Participants in One Day on Earth could use a number of causes as their event, like poverty, education, gender equality and migration and refugees.
“I decided to look for the deaf community because I want it to be recognized on One Day on Earth too, because they are people too,” said Kong.
