The youth Photovoice project is the continuation of our previous adult Photovoice project, Visual Voices: Neighbourhood and Health.  Photovoice is a community-based participatory research method (CBPR) which uses photography and storytelling to engage participants in expressing their experiences.  As a CBPR tool, Photovoice can generate information about the impact of a neighbourhood on the health and well-being of its residents, information that more accurately represents the participants’ true perceptions, that generates an engaging dialogue which encourages constructive action, and that empowers those who are often marginalized.  In this project, multicultural youth residents of St. James Town took photographs of their neighbourhood and wrote stories describing how the subjects in their photographs impact their health and well-being.

Method

21 multicultural youth residents received disposable cameras and training on the photovoice strategy.  They were instructed to take photographs of things in their neighbourhood that have an influence on their health and well-being, whether good or bad.  Each youth was then asked to pick their 3 favourite photographs and write 1 page stories about why and how these issues influence their health, as well as any ideas for how to make the situation healthier.  The result was a series of photo-story sets which can be grouped into 4 categories of issues influencing their health and well-being.

Results

The findings indicate that the youth have a broad understanding of health, acknowledging that physical and social structures of the neighbourhood have implications on their health andwell-being. Most stories explore and highlight social determinants of health rather than health care as the main source of opportunities or deficits for achieving neighbourhood and personal health and well-being.

Pictures: See the Youth Photovoice Photo Album and for Photos and Stories from this project!
Pictures: See pictures from the Youth Community Voice event!

Downloads

Youth Photovoice Report (PDF)
Summary Policy Brief: Youth Photovoice (PDF)
Green Spaces Fact Sheet: Youth Photovoice Results (PDF)