February 2014Vol. 15, No. 2Getting Youth Engaged in Their Community
Portland State University's Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures recently published a guide for community implementation of the Photovoice program. Photovoice encourages young people to get involved in their communities by giving them the opportunity to serve as neighborhood experts. Experts use cameras to document the realities of their day-to-day lives, enabling them to highlight various strengths and challenges within their communities. Photographs are then used to spark small-group discussions with policymakers, community leaders, and power brokers within the area to promote and initiate positive neighborhood change.
The program guide was developed based on lessons learned while implementing Photovoice with urban American Indian/Alaska Native youth receiving culturally and community-based services at the Native American Youth and Family Center. The guide provides helpful strategies for implementation, as well as knowledge gained from the experiences of the researchers and youth.
The guide provides specific strategies for the following:
- How to prepare stakeholders for implementing Photovoice within their communities
- The materials necessary for Photovoice implementation
- Strategies for engaging youth in discussions among themselves and with community leaders in order to effect change
- The ethics issues that need to be reviewed by youth
- Additional readings and resources for understanding the principles and concepts behind Photovoice
I Bloomed Here: A Guide for Conducting Photovoice With Youth Receiving Culturally- and Community-Based Services is available here:
http://pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/proj5-photovoice.pdf (358 KB)
