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Be A Champion For Young Artists

Help us activate and amplify youth voices through photography, filmmaking, and media arts education. Outside The Lens in San Diego provides youth with tools to express themselves. We help youth share their experiences and ideas, building confidence and critical thinking skills and catalyzing positive change within themselves and their communities.

During the past 20 years, more than 27,000 students have benefitted from our arts-integrated programming in weekly classes, after-school programs, community centers, alternative learning sites, summer sessions, workshops, and more.

Make a Donation

Your Donation Makes A Direct Impact

$50

 buys snacks for an afterschool art program

$100

buys supplies for a digital animation activity

$250

buys disposable cameras for a memoir project

$500

buys software for film and photography editing

$1,000

supports a free community exhibition event

$2,500

provides professional training for 20+ educators

Make a One-Time or Recurring Donation

Will you be a champion for San Diego’s youth? Help us inspire youth through media arts education by making a tax-deductible one-time gift—or help young artists all year long with a monthly contribution.

Make a Donation

Hear From The Youth We Serve

“I want to continue to become a better photographer, but I also want to be a mentor to kids like me, who could really benefit from OTL programs. I know it will always be a place where you will be encouraged to express your creativity.”

–Asukulu

In 2018, Outside the Lens started the Ibarra After School Photography Club in City Heights as a creative outlet for students in the San Diego Refugee Tutoring program. Meeting weekly for 1.5 hours, the club engaged students in exploring identity, English Language Arts (ELA), and mixed media through photography. After graduating from Ibarra, Asukulu joined a middle school photography club designed for alumni. This program offered flexible support, with office hours, technical assistance, and check-ins tailored to his growing independence. He also participated in unique opportunities, such as a dance videography workshop and exhibition with The Rosin Box Project.

In the 2023-2024 school year, Asukulu’s journey came full circle. He joined the paid OTL Youth Advisory Council (YAC), contributing to the very program that sparked his passion. As a mentor, he helped design classes, create curriculum slides, and plan activities for the Ibarra After School Photography Club. Upon completing the YAC program, Asukulu continued his leadership and advocacy by joining OTL’s Youth Council, shaping the future of programs that foster creativity and community for young artists like himself.

With the help of photography, I have found a purpose in my life and a way to impact others. Photography brings out emotions and starts conversations that are the pathways to positive change.”

–Eleanor Taylor, Media Makers Intern

Eleanor Taylor, a San Diego native with an unyielding passion for photography, has been deeply impacted by her time at Outside the Lens (OTL). Her journey, which began with attending summer photography camps in elementary school, has grown into multifaceted personal and professional development, including her current role as a Media Makers intern.

Eleanor credits OTL with sparking her love of photography and equipping her with the tools to explore it in a meaningful way.  She reflects, “OTL helped me become comfortable behind the lens and with the subjects in front of my camera.” Through hands-on experiences and mentorship, she developed skills she couldn’t have gained elsewhere, like technical expertise and creative confidence.

Questions?

If you need help deciding how best to donate, call Jessie Stein, Director of Advancement, at (619) 273-3190 or email jessie@outsidethelens.org for more information.

If you prefer to send a personal or business check, please submit to:

Outside The Lens
The Wonder Lab
125 14th St.
San Diego, CA 92101

Tax Information

Outside The Lens is a nonprofit organization, designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (federal tax ID: 26-4832772). For more information, see our federal and California tax letters and our federal tax return, IRS Form 990.