PHOTO ESSAY Skateboarding: Defying Gravity

During their six week international fieldwork placement at the Australasian Occupational Science Centre (AOSC) in Nowra, NSW, Australia, Katie Anderson and Victoria Valente, final year students in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Western Ontario, Canada were co-investigators for a collaborative project for Youth Week. The focus of the project was the new Nowra skate park and its role in meeting the occupational needs of local youth. Project partners were Shoalhaven City Council, South Coast Register and AOSC. The students recorded interviews with two regular skate park users to obtain their perceptions and experiences of the skate park. Key themes from an analysis of the interviews and photographs taken by the South Coast Registers were then incorporated into large paintings by local artist, Nicci Bedson. The outcome of the project were exhibitions of the paintings at various local venues to inform City Councillors and the general public how the skate park addresses occupational, physical and social needs of local youth.