A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition illustrating what democracy and the Commonwealth signifies for young people in the Borders is starting a regional tour Capturing the Commonwealth is the inspirational result of a project run by Scottish Borders Youth Voice over the summer.

They challenged a group of ten budding young photographers to capture democracy through their own eyes by telling the story of 'Democracy is.....’ and create an exhibition that would reflect what the concept means to them.

The project was funded by The National Lottery Celebrate Fund which supported communities to celebrate the diversity of the Commonwealth and create a legacy of community and Commonwealth connections in 2014.

The young photographers attended four days of workshop sessions over the summer where they were given training by professional photographer, Becky Duncan from Open Aye in Glasgow. They then spent two days on location, travelling around the Borders and to Holyrood in Edinburgh where they could put their newly learned skills into practice.

The exhibition itself was curated by three of the young photographers who carefully selected the images and wrote captions that reflected the story that the group wanted to convey.

Project member, Louise Chapman, 21, from Kelso, said: “This summer has been quite a lot of fun thanks to participating in Capturing the Commonwealth. It has been a learning experience and I hope the friendships we have built go on for a long time. All the others are amazing photographers and I am sure our exhibition will highlight that fact.” Councillor Iain Gillespie, Children and Young People’s Champion at Scottish Borders Council, said: “These young people have worked very creatively over the summer to produce something they should both individually and collectively be extremely proud of. Not only are the photographs of a very high standard, the diversity of culture that makes up the Commonwealth is certainly reflected in the variety of images that the group has chosen to share with us. This is an inspiring and thought provoking display which I would encourage everyone to visit.” Sarah Robbins, 16, from Oxton, added: “The project has given me a great opportunity to meet new people, learn photography skills and be able to showcase my work at a professional standard.” The exhibition was launched at the Scottish Borders Youth Voice annual youth summit on Friday, October 3. It will now travel the Scottish Borders for the next 182 days, reaching young people by visiting each secondary school and the wider public by being shown in the following community venues: October 25 to November 3: Eyemouth Library; November 8 to 17: The Knoll Hospital, Duns; November 22 to December 2: Melrose Library; December 6 to 15: Galashiels Library; January 10 to 19: Selkirk Library; January 24 to February 2: Kelso Library; February 7 to 18: Jedburgh Library and Contact Centre; February 26 to March 4: Hawick Library; March 12 to 18: Peebles Library; April 10 to 13: Haining House, Selkirk.

The exhibition will also spend two days at Scottish Borders Council headquarters in Newtown St Boswells from March 25 to 26.