JOSH SCHACHTER hero arts

digital storytelling and other art forms to support the literacy development of refugee and immigrant students. The students used their skills to reveal and address critical community issues with local partners.

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DOCUMENTING VOICES As a boy, Schachter learned he could tell stories through a camera. He later intertwined his passion for photography with his training in ecosystem management by documenting the relationship between people and place from the Ecuadorian Amazon to Madagascar.

After completing graduate school at Yale, he was hired by the Sonoran Institute. He put his ear to the ground almost immediately.

In 2001, Schachter started a photography program at the nonprofit VOICES, which hired youth to document Tucson’s stories. In 2006, he co-founded Finding Voice, a program at Catalina High School that used

CONNECTING VOICES Schachter’s life work prepared him for his current position: founder and director of CommunityShare, a nonprofit that connects K-12 educators and students with community partners. Schachter calls it “a human library of human books.” CommunityShare’s online platform and offline network has connected nearly 10,000 students to practicable learning experiences.

“It’s important that community members reconnect with the education system,” Schachter says. “By engaging with students and teachers, community members not only can bring real-world relevance to classrooms, but also can help young people imagine a future for themselves they perhaps never knew was possible.”

We hear you.

Do you know an Arts Hero? Someone who works tirelessly to strengthen, improve and enhance the arts in our community?

Nominate him or her at onmediaaz.com