Dec/Jan 2012Vol. 12, No. 9Using Video to Engage Youth
A unique project incorporates video to help youth tell their story to caseworkers in monthly visits. Bob Lewis's "Seeing the Voices of Children and Youth" project is a curriculum for caseworkers that provides a framework for using video to engage youth. Six sessions allow youth to be filmed while covering such topics as life before foster care, when I came into care, and what I hope for the future.
The video format has three significant advantages over traditional casework visits:
- It engages and empowers youth, allowing them to "set the record straight."
- It helps caseworkers hear the genuine voice of the youth, which may help in the permanency process.
- It can help the youth heal from trauma and loss.
Information on training and protocol for the video program is available on Lewis's website:
http://www.rglewis.com/video%20project/proposal.pdf
A poignant demonstration of the video is available on Lewis's blog: