P.A.R

Photovoice Project Samples:

What is Photovoice? Photovoice is a participatory research and critical thinking method that allows patients, clients and community members to share their experiences and collaborate for change. Using photographs can illuminate barriers to access, illustrate quality of care or influence policy and resource decision making in respectful and supportive ways. It can help unite service providers and patients through visual accounts to understand and to address health care issues as a shared endeavor. It is an innovative technique of interest to community members, graduate students, policy makers, professionals, and more.

History: Photovoice was developed by developed by Caroline C. Wang of the University of Michigan, and Mary Ann Burris, research associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. In 1992, Wang and Burris created what is now known as "Photovoice" as a way to enable rural women of Yunnan Province, China, to influence the policies and programs that affected them. It has since been used among homeless adults in Ann Arbor, Michigan and among community health workers and teachers in rural South Africa and by Dr. Claudia Mitchell et al., and with brain injury survivors with Dr. Laura S. Lorenz. of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The concept owes a debt to the Paulo Freire's pedagogy related to critical consciousness, feminist theory and empowerment. Perhaps the best of description of the history of Photovoice is to start here: Photovoice from Wikipedia the free encyclopedia.

Laura offers Photovoice Workshops for educators, facilitators, service providers, researchers, development workers, and others seeking to gain conceptual and hands-on experience with this dynamic community assessment and reflection method. Workshops are tailored to meet audience needs. Participants leave ready to design and implement a project in their local context. A CD of conceptual and practical materials for applying Photovoice and managing project logistics and outreach is provided as well.

For more information on details, content, customization, costs, etc of Photovoice Lectures or Workshops please visit the Lectures and Workshops page here.
 

Girls Inc. Photovoice: Global Ambassadors Project  (January - December 2011)  - Synopsis

Girls Inc. Photovoice: Cultural Ambassadors Project (CAP) builds on Girls Inc.’s 10 years of experience with photovoice, an after-school program that puts cameras in the hands of adolescent girls so they can take photographs of community resources and problems and share them with each other and with people who make decisions, and expands photovoice to encompass an investigation of culture and strengthen the research skill-building aspect of photovoice. Photovoice: CAP aims to enhance girls’ understanding of culture in a global sense: how culture shapes behavior, beliefs, and sensibilities; appreciation for diverse beliefs, appearances, and lifestyles; and comprehension of ways in which culture can be a tool for positive change.

Project activities will take place at Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell, Lowell High School Freshman Academy, and BR21 Middle School in Vienna, Austria. Photovoice: CAP will provide an opportunity for girls to develop individual understandings of culture and express them freely using photographs, captions, Internet sharing, and exhibits. The knowledge they develop and capture in their photographs, captions, and outreach efforts, will contribute to the global conversation about culture and development and contribute to understanding of ways in which young people can make positive contributions to culture – both local and global. It is anticipated that Photovoice: CAP will contribute to the growing awareness of young people as resources for themselves, their families, and their communities.

An associated research study “Investigating Culture through Participatory Photography: Youth as Learners and Teachers” will evaluate the effectiveness of photovoice as a collaborative learning and empowerment program for girls. The evaluation study will seek to understand how youth participants in Photovoice: CAP develop understandings of culture, both individually and collectively, and the impact of Photovoice: CAP on their self understandings, self development, and interactions with others.

Dr. Lorenz’s Photovoice: CAP collaborators include: Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell; Tara M. Brown, Assistant Professor, Brandeis University; and Bettina Kolb, Lecturer, University of Vienna, and a Social Scientist at Oikiodrom the Vienna Institute for Urban Sustanability.
 

*Note: For more information or questions about this project please contact Laura by emailing her at laura@lslorenz.com, or use our Online Contact form (here). Please include "Re: Girls Inc. Photovoice Global Ambassadors Project" in the subject line.

Visit the Lectures and Workshops section of this website for information on learning about one-day, two-day, and five-day PhotoVoice workshops for educators, facilitators, health and social service providers, researchers, international development workers, individuals, and others seeking to gain conceptual and hands-on experience with this innovative participatory research method.

For more information about the Photovoice with Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell project initiated 10 years ago please click here.

For more information on these and other Photovoice projects please contact Laura by emailing her at laura@lslorenz.com, or use our Online Contact form (here). Please include in your subject your question and interest.
 

Laura has been co-facilitating a participatory action research (PAR) project using photovoice with eight members of the ‘Mild’ Brain Injury Survivor Support Group in Framingham, MA. and two brain injury survivor co-facilitators (Barbara W. and Laura F.), with support from the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts BIA-MA and the Massachusetts State-Wide Head Injury Program. Action research in the tradition of Kurt Lewin involves scholar-practitioners integrating science and practice in a dynamic group and organizational setting. Photovoice (wikipedia) is a type of action research and involves asking participants to represent their lives, point of view, and experience using photographs and narratives developed by Caroline C. Wang of the University of Michigan, and Mary Ann Burris, research associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. This project created by Laura S. Lorenz PhD., Barbara Webster, and eight members of the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts Framingham support group is intended to provide an opportunity for the members of a brain injury survivor support group to reflect on living with brain injury and their progress in dealing with this major life change, raise awareness about brain injury, and help policymakers understand ways to support healing from brain injury.

The photography phase lasted 10 weeks, from September to November 2006. During this phase, participants took photographs and discussed them together as a group, wrote narratives for selected images, and held a trial exhibit of 50 photos and narratives, grouped into nine categories, including The Journey, Challenges, and Hope for the Future. The three co-facilitators and eight participants have continued their efforts in an outreach phase, ongoing through Spring 2010. The group decided on nine categories as follows.

The Journey - Lost Dreams - Chaos - Challenges - Strategies - My Advocacy Story - Comfort and Support - Acceptance - and Hope for the Future

The group presented their exhibit at the annual conference of the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts in March 2007 and led a Photovoice training workshop for Massachusetts brain injury support group facilitators in May 2007. Additional exhibits and trainings have included posting the exhibit in public libraries in Massachusetts, at the Massachusetts State House, and at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston, and doing a second photovoice project with new members of the Amazing Brain Injury Survivor Support Group in Framingham. The original project has inspired several brain injury photovoice projects in other states.

Brain Injury X-Posed - Scientific Presentation Poster BIA-MA 2006 24"x36" (PDF) 375 Kilobytes

Acceptance - Sample Exhibit Poster (1 of 9)  24"x36" (PDF) 64 Kilobytes

The following represent samples for three of the nine exhibit categories, developed by participants and facilitators together. Each photo shows the category & the photo title.
 

The Journey Maybe there will be a good view "It’s a muddy, rutty, hands-and-knees crawl up to the first rung of the ladder that begins to make some semblance of sense—and then you get to begin to really struggle. The climb does not and will not end. There is no final healed bone or mended tear of the skin to get over. Sometimes weekly, and sometimes daily there is a new step to attempt to get to your “new self”. You can’t even ever hope to get back to your “old self”. Oh well! Maybe there will be a good view on this journey that I hadn’t expected......"		Hope For The Future New Identity "New Identity. New passion of gardening. First baby step was planting in containers so as to not fall into dirt because of imbalance. My garden has progressed as my new life has. Now I not only can plant in the ground, I dig up grass and now have three perennial gardens."
Challenge Keys in the freezer "My thoughts no longer correspond to action. Thus, putting things in places that have no meaning: like keys in the freezer."		Challenge Trying to run on ice "Imagine your automobile stuck in a snow bank. You hit the gas pedal and all the tire does is spin. Now imagine yourself trying to run on ice (without wearing a pair of skates). The faster you run, the more you get nowhere. These images parallel how each and every day of my life begins since I suffered my brain injury. I seem to spend a whole lot of time getting nothing accomplished."

*See more of this amazing exhibit at Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor's View at the Brainline.org website below and at BIA-MA.

"The exhibit is a moving glimpse of how individuals with brain injury deal with this major change and move on with life," said Laura Lorenz, Ph.D., Brandeis University, who brought this "PhotoVoice" project to the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts.

An astonishing story "What does it feel like to live with a brain injury? What are the issues and concerns of survivors? How do they cope? Where do they find comfort, support, and hope? Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor’s View is a photographic exhibit created by Laura S. Lorenz PhD., Barbara Webster, and eight members of the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts Framingham support group. 'Taking photos and talking about them helped to peel away the layers of issues and emotions like the layers of an onion,' says Barbara Webster, facilitator of the Framingham group, who also sustained a TBI...

See this incredible first project by clicking here: Brainline.org - Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor's View
and
Brainlinemilitary.org - Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor's View.

Update:
Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor’s View (PhotoVoice II)

Members of the "Amazing" Brain Injury Survivor Support Group in Framingham, Massachusetts embarked on a 2nd PhotoVoice Project entitled (Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor’s View PhotoVoice II). The exhibit was prepared by the participants and facilitators over eight-weeks and took place from September through December 2009. The exhibit contains 48 photographs and narratives, grouped in eight categories as follows:

• Losses
• Isolation
• Lack of Understanding
• Challenges
• Clutter
• Strategies
• Comfort
• Hope

View more of this extraordinary 2nd PhotoVoice project by clicking here:
Brainline.org - Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor's View (PhotoVoice II) Project

BrainLine.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine is a service of WETA, the public TV and radio station in Washington, DC. with funding from DVBIC The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. WETA is the third-largest producing station for PBS.

BrainLineMilitary.org provides military-specific information and resources on traumatic brain injury to veterans, service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Reserve, and their families. Through video, webcasts, articles, personal stories, research briefs, and current news, those whose lives have been affected by TBI can learn more about brain injury symptoms and treatment, rehabilitation, and family issues associated with TBI care and recovery. BrainLineMilitary.org is part of BrainLine.org, a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLineMilitary.org is funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the Primary Operational TBI Component of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, through a subcontract award with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.

*Note: For more information or questions about these two projects please contact Laura by emailing her at laura@lslorenz.com, or use our Online Contact form (here). Please include "Re: Brain Injury X-Posed The Survivor's View Projects I and II" in the subject line.

Want to do your own Photovoice project?

Here is the Photovoice Facilitator's Guide developed by Laura S. Lorenz and Barbara Webster to help get you started.

Visit the Lectures and Workshops section of this website for information on learning about one-day, two-day, and five-day PhotoVoice workshops for educators, facilitators, health and social service providers, researchers, international development workers, individuals, and others seeking to gain conceptual and hands-on experience with this innovative participatory research method.

Jump to PhotoVoice Exhibits to see when and where this exhibit is on display.
 

Photovoice in Mdantsane Township, South Africa: “Pictures that Talk”

With funding from the EQUITY Project of the Government of South Africa and the US Agency for International Development, Laura facilitated a photovoice project with 16 youth, brought together through a local Mdantsane Township organization called the Youth Academy. The initiative provided an opportunity for youth to have a voice in their township as they took photographs and wrote essays about local issues, and developed an exhibit to inform local policy makers, including community groups, community volunteers, social workers, teachers, and government agencies.

Their exhibit of 80 photographs and narratives covering health and welfare, security, township life, education and training, economic opportunity, and community vision was posted at libraries in East London and Mdtansane Township, and in the regional capital. The largest category of photos was health and welfare. Photos and narratives in all categories addressed HIV/AIDS and demonstrated the devastating effects of the epidemic on South African youth.

“These pictures are proof of our membership in our communities,” said Khanyiso Sangotsha, one of the Youth Academy leaders who participated in the project. “By looking at them you can see clearly today that Mdantsane needs change.”

The following are sample photos and captions for two of the six exhibit categories, which were developed by participants and facilitators together.
 

Township Life – Ubomi Belokishi "This is a bad situation. The streets are always muddy even on sunny days. There are insects which bring illness to people. Cars cannot enter in this community. These roads need renovation. If the municipality would contribute gravel, the community would fill in the holes themselves."  –Luyazola		Township Life – Ubomi Belokishi "This young man has a sister, his own blood, who has tested positive for HIV. He decided not to eat the food she cooked, not even to use the spoon or the coffee mug she used, because he thought he could be infected with AIDS. We need to inform people about the normal life they can live with an HIV positive person."  –Nokwanda
Township Life – Ubomi Belokishi "This is good looking art on the wall near a taxi route. If you are passing by you stop and look because it’s beautiful. As youth of Mdantsane we are showing people that we have talents. Art like this can attract tourists to come here to Mdantsane. It is good to know that we have people who care about our culture and our community."  –Nomahlubi		Health and Welfare -- Ezempilo neze Ntlalontle "This picture is a good thing because it is good to have fresh vegetables. These people are unemployed and are growing their own food because there are no jobs. It is good to plant vegetables for eating and selling."  –Celine

Photovoice with Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell   (January - June 2001) - Synopsis

As part of an independent study while pursuing a Master of Education in Instructional Design at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Laura designed and led a pilot photovoice project with five girls aged 11 to 17 years through Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell. The participating girls took photographs of their community—both its positive and negative aspects—and shared their point of view through exhibits at Lowell City Hall, Pollard Memorial Library, the Brush Gallery, and Middlesex Community College. The decision makers they reached included family, friends, neighbors, peers, teachers, community leaders, foundations, and elected officials.

The pilot project won a national Girls Inc Program Award in 2001, and in 2002 Girls Inc of Greater Lowell applied for and won a Strengthening Families Program grant, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, to develop a photovoice curriculum guide. The Photovoice: Girls Vision, Girls Voices curriculum is now a national Girls Inc program, and Girls Inc affiliates throughout the US and Canada carry out numerous photovoice projects each year. Girls Inc of Greater Lowell continues to lead photovoice projects and share the methodology with other Lowell youth through outreach programs at local middle schools.

“I took photos of my family, my friends, my community, and many other problems and resources,” said Jennifer Sanchez, a photovoice participant and Girls Inc member for six years. “For example, I took a picture of bagged trash. This is a resource—everyone should bag their trash instead of polluting the environment. Taking pictures for photovoice, I found that there was a lack of caring in my community and lots of pollution. I found that taking pictures and showing them to our community could really make a difference.”

The following are sample photos and captions from the exhibit.

"This is one of the many cracks in our dance floor at the high school. Cracks like this are unsafe and can cause major injuries. Our dance teacher has made numerous complaints to the school about this problem. I hope that including this photo will get the floor fixed and that my dance teacher does not get in trouble, because this was my idea." –Kerry, age 17, Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell, 2001		"My family is everything to me. This is a picture of my aunt and my baby sister. My aunt is very special to me because she is very cool and teaches me things about life. She is a role model and she is like another mother. I love my Mom just the same, they are both very cool. My baby is very special to me because she is premature and she is so precious. When I look at her I see myself as being a role mode. She makes me smile when I’m down."—Jessica, age 14, Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell, 2001
"This is a picture of a fire truck. It’s one of our resources. Fire fighters save lives. If fires just kept going and no one did anything about them, then they would kill a lot of people. People depend on fire fighters." –Gina, age 13, Girls Inc of Greater Lowell, 2002		"This is a picture of a broken bubbler at my school. They would always try to have people come in and try to fix our bubblers, but they never came. This is one of about 6 bubblers in my schoond the bad thing is that 2 more of them are also broken. So we can almost never use the bubblers unless we travel all the way across the school." –Yaileen, age 11, Girls Inc of Greater Lowell, 2002

*Note: For more information or questions about this project please contact Laura by emailing her at laura@lslorenz.com, or use our Online Contact form (here). Please include "Re: Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell Project" in the subject line.

Visit the Lectures and Workshops section of this website for information on learning about one-day, two-day, and five-day PhotoVoice workshops for educators, facilitators, health and social service providers, researchers, international development workers, individuals, and others seeking to gain conceptual and hands-on experience with this innovative participatory research method.

For more information on these and other Photovoice projects please contact Laura by emailing her at laura@lslorenz.com, or use our Online Contact form (here). Please include in your subject your question and interest.
 

Members of the Framingham Brain Injury Survivor Photovoice Group at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital’s Stroke Awareness Day, May 21, 2009. Also present were Harvard School of Public Health Fellow Miwako Hosoda, PhD, and Japanese stroke survivor Rio Takahashi. Pictured here from (left to right) are Dr. Hosoda, Scott Davis, Kathleen Decenzo, Judy Szczeblowski, Rio Takahashi, Peggi Robart, and Dr. Laura Lorenz, all holding artworks created by Japanese stroke survivors who have participated in research with Dr. Hosoda.