Some of the Centre's students particpated in the Documentary Clinic as part of their studies towards the LLM (Human Rights & Democratisation in Africa) programme.

The documentary Changing Lenses: A short film about youth empowerment  was the result of the 2012 Documentary Clinic.

As South Africa struggles to rise from the ashes of its Apartheid past, cracking the glass ceiling of extreme socio-economic inequalities using conventional methods has proven to be, at best, a shot in the dark.

As necessity is the mother of invention, people have developed innovative ways of raising awareness through creative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking.

Changing Lenses is a documentary short film about youth empowerment with a difference. It is the story of Captain, Evidence and Maisara who take us on a journey – through their own photographs – to see the issues they feel are being ignored, and which are important to them and to their communities in the Johannesburg townships of Hillbrow and Diepsloot.

More than that, Changing Lenses is the story of young people, who are finding their voice in the kaleidoscope of competing visions for the new South Africa. Given the chance they speak up, empower themselves and influence others. They show us that today’s youth can be the vehicle for realising yesterday’s dreams for a better tomorrow: a place where hope endures despite hardship, and a time when the youth can set their communities’ agendas and be the makers of their own future.

Changing Lenses can be used by teachers in schools to stimulate youth activism and engagement. As a resource it is a valuable source of inspiration and would serve well as an advocacy tool for civil society organisations working with youth empowerment.

'Changing Lenses: A Short Film about Youth Empowerment' is a project of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, in collaboration with Umuzi Photo Club; as part of the LLM programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa 2012, funded by the European Union, DAAD, the Dutch Government an OSISA. Filmed and edited by Adam Heyns. Directed and produced by Benedicta Armah, Josua Loots and Marina Lourenço da Cunha.