>> Pictures
can be powerful.
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>> Just being able to express
yourself, you know, share
your vision with the world.
>> They can show
shadow and light,
beauty and balance.
And with the right subject,
they can even bring
a little joy.
>> They just make me feel happy.
>> But sometimes,
for some teenagers,
the big picture
can be pretty dark.
>> Breaking into cars,
and my anger, my depression.
>> Drug issues.
>> The one thing that they have
in common is that,
for one reason or another,
they've lost hope
in their lives.
>> Kind of getting in trouble
at school, and you know,
trouble with the law.
>> They've come to conclude
for one reason or another,
whether it be
a severe mental health issue,
whether it be a very challenging
family or home circumstance,
that when they invest
in theirself, it's still
going to turn out really bad.
>> A lot of just misbehaving,
basically.
I had nowhere else to go.
>> So, they've often just given
up.
>> "They" are teenagers
from around the country.
Each has been brought
to northern Wisconsin, to
a residential treatment program
called "Northwest Passage."
They come in need of hope
and a fresh start.
>> The majority are referred
through like the county
juvenile justice system.
But a fairly decent percentage
are also referred through
families.
>> Ben Thwaits is one of their
teachers.
But before he came to
the classroom, Ben already knew
plenty about giving others
the right perspective.
>> I worked professionally
for two years in photography.
Being a nature photographer
is still a really core piece
of who I am.
When I started the job at
Northwest Passage as a teacher,
I was always looking for ways
to get nature photography
into the classroom.
>> A few years ago,
Ben got a grant from
the National Parks Foundation
to do just that.
>> Not a particularly ambitious
proposal, just enough to get us
a handful of cameras, and enough
just to get the kids out,
you know, once a week,
and get them shooting photos.
Then, probably in three
or four weeks, we realized
that we were onto something
really special,
because these kids started
investing into their photography
way beyond what I've ever seen
in any other school program.
They started taking
truly astonishing photos.
>> Ben called the program
"In a New Light."
And along with pictures
of the world outside, the
students started writing poems
about the world within.
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>> I feel that this fish
is like my little brother,
always smiling
and probably loves his mother.
One day, this fish
will end up in heaven.
So will I.
We'll be there together.
>> I always wonder
what the world would be like
through the eyes
of something as small
as a dragonfly.
>> Sometimes the only thing
that can make you happy
is a plain flower.
You just need to view it
in a special way
and turn it into your sunny day.
>> When I was a little kid,
I used to see water
push on rocks.
When my mom and I
were at the bridge,
my mom said
she wouldn't let me fall.
>> This picture
gave me a chance to realize
the thing I had been
missing out on in life.
>> These pictures can be a door
through which they can access
their feelings,
their hopes, their struggles,
and to process their lives
in a way that's way different
than a therapist's couch.
>> It's a way for me
to express myself without
actually talking to people,
because sometimes I don't want
to just talk to people.
>> It's inherently therapeutic,
just to spend time in nature.
So what this project is doing
is tapping into that
inherent therapeutic element
of time and nature.
>> Students in the program
have seen plenty of nature.
While they spend most of their
time along the St. Croix River,
they've also traveled
out of state, to National Parks
like Yellowstone and
Rocky Mountain National Park,
all through grants from
the National Parks foundation.
>> We make a very conscientious
effort to share their work
with the world,
keeping in mind that most
of these young men and women
have never been recognized
for anything positive
that they've ever done.
The only recognition that
they've got has been for things
that they've done wrong.
>> But Ben says maybe the traits
that cause these students
to stumble are the same traits
that cause their work to shine.
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>> Think of, you know, what are
the traits that kind of
make these kids who they are.
For one,
they're often risk-takers.
They're sensation-seekers.
They don't necessarily
respect convention.
But if you think of, well, what
are the traits of great artists?
Well, they're risk-takers.
They're sensation-seekers.
They don't care what people
think.
They don't necessarily
respect convention.
So, I think that it's really,
we're figuring out a way
to harness the inherent
characteristics
in so many of these kids
and translate them into
a very, very positive outlook.
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