What is Joyfaces? A Mission Statement
The goal behind Joyfaces is to spread happiness and raise self-esteem amongst the less fortunate or lower income groups via the medium of photography, in a radical yet simple way. Our idea to spread happiness is based on the premise that everyone's happiness levels rise when they see a cheery, smiling portrait of themselves. It makes for a great start for the day, imbues great optimism in the heart and mind of the person, and makes the person more hopeful and positive in general. Its a great way to remind oneself of one's positive and happy side, which can be a great source of energy and happiness amongst the daily challenges of life, especially amongst the deprived sections of the society. For each individual , we will take a cheerful portrait picture and then give it in a complimentary framed picture, which he/she can hang or place in a convenient place at his home. Via this very simple act, we hope to contribute to their happiness and joy.
There is a similar project we want to pursue, whose idea is posted here. We need more votes!! Please contribute, if you like the idea.
Promoting domestic unity
Beyond the individual, we can take it to the next level: We can focus on domestic unity. There can be some level of domestic abuse and dis harmony in some of the lower income sections of the society, especially in the slums. (well in all sections of the society really but here too) And we all have experienced the feeling of unity that comes when we see our family pictures or pics with our friends. It promotes togetherness , friendship and trust in each other. We can do the same for these families. Even a minor affect on domestic issues via this will be huge. We tried this for families earlier in India and it worked very well!And beyond families we can focus on communities as well (like the slum group). But even sticking at the family level is just great.
Our Values
* Use photography to spread happiness amongst the deprived
* To give a face to the people who may be living a relatively faceless life.
* To maintain the highest levels of quality in our work: our photos, framing and the website.
* To gain respect of the people (both the participants and the supporters) as on organization by our purity of purpose, with no personal stakes.
* Invite and welcome community participation for taking these portraits and giving it to people. Each portrait will be submitted to the website for display with proper credits.
* To unite various communities by involving participation of different communities for this singular goal.
The steps behind Joyfaces
The entire project hinges on taking excellent portraits and presenting them to the person in an attractive package. The steps in the entire cycle are:
* To identify and reach out to a relatively deprived individual and explain him/her our mission. To make the individual participate willingly in our effort.
* To take a nice joyful portrait of him/her using a nice digital camera.
* Printing it on a high quality paper, with any embellishments like the "JoyFaces" logo etc. (logo thing is optional)
* Getting it nicely framed --> Framing is very important. We want them to use the pic and put it someplace in their room/hut/cottage/den. Without the proper means to do, they might just put in their suitcase. Making that part accessible will help them just put it on top of their TV or table, or hang it on the wall.
* Taking the portrait back to the person and help him/her hang it in a nice place.
