Using Photovoice & Participatory Video with Youth

1. Using Photovoice & Participatory Video with Youth Julie Tritz CYFAR Conference Baltimore, MD May 21, 2009

2. Workshop Overview • Photovoice & Participatory Video • Background and history • Methodology • Practical considerations

3. Common Ground Stem from documentary productions Participatory in nature Collective investigation, education and action Participants behind the camera Power of images Political aspect Differences Medium Time developed Methodology ‘Western’ vs. ‘Developing’ contexts Background:Photovoice & Participatory Video

4. European Union project Implemented both methods over 2 years Delivery mode: day camp Two high school youth groups and one adult group Two facilitators Overview of Project Ireland County Kerry

5. Banteer Youth Group, County Kerry

6. Social Action Group, Rathmore, County Kerry

7. Photovoice is a method that enables people to define for themselves and others, including policy makers, what is worth remembering and what needs to be changed. Caroline Wang Photovoice • Objectives • Enable people to record and reflect their community’s strengths and concerns • Promote critical dialogue and knowledge • To reach community leaders and policy-makers

8. First Phase • Conduct Training • Keep it simple • Learn by doing • Define Themes • Take Pictures • Set parameters on no. of photos taken, amount of time

9. Second Phase • Select top 3-5 photographs • Utilize photographs for discussion • S = What do you SEE here? • H = What is really HAPPENING? • O = How does this relate to OUR lives? • W = Why does this problem or strength exist? • D = What can we DO about it? • Write short paragraph describing each photo • Identify issues, themes, theories that emerge from the photographs

10. Participants writing text for photographs

11. Cell phones and other techonology are important to us. Many times adults do not understand this. We understand there are times when we cannot use them and that they are a privilege but we also want people to respect our interests.

12. Transportation is huge problem for us living in a rural area. The bus is ok but it doesn’t run often nor is it on time. The train is the same. We love where we live but getting around to do things is difficult without a car.

13. There is always one that will give all youth a bad name.

14. Third Phase • Prepare exhibition • Decide on venue and who to invite • Individual to give reaction to exhibition or panel • Prepare photographs and mounts • Set up exhibition • Reach community leaders and policy-makers • Advocacy and raising awareness* • Tangible change

16. Participatory Video • Participatory video: • Empowers – teaches soft skills and positive attitudes • Engages people in a fun and interactive way • Amplifies voices via sharing strengths and concerns • Involves three phases: pre-production, production and post-production

17. First Phase • Embrace a spirit of learning as compared to a need for perfection • Keep instruction simple • Decide on genre – documentary or drama • Decide on the topic/ focus • Storyboard the Idea – identify who is doing what? • Sound • Interview/ Interviewee or Actors • Best to rotate roles • Shoot the video • Sound check (i.e. wind, busy road) • Batteries fully charged • Make sure you’ve hit ‘record’ • If 2nd camera, film ‘behind the scenes’

19. Shooting a scene from ‘Juggling Act’

20. Second Phase Two Options • Paper edit • Group looks at the footage and decides what to keep/ delete • If doable, review footage immediately – builds ownership and interest. • Group edits around a computer with appropriate software • Positive: inclusive; lives up to participatory nature of the method. Youth exposed to editing software • Down-side: time-consuming

21. Third Phase • Screening the video(s) • Consider the audience • Community leaders • Politicians • Board of Directors • Family and friends • How many screenings and where • Encourage participants to organize and emcee the screening

23. Practical Considerations • Group Size & Facilitators • Useful Tools/ Activities • Costs and Funding • Equipment • Editing • Exhibitions & Screenings • Power and Ethics • Planning a day camp

24. Group Size & Facilitators • Ideal group size is 10-12 • Two facilitators • Project management • Pre-development meetings important • Technical side • See if technical school/ university has students • Thorough understanding of participatory research • Safety

25. Activities to Get Started Name Game Bring in favorite photo/ short family video Disappearing Game Tools to Develop Themes/ Topic Community Mapping Exercise Neighborhood/ Suburb/ Town/ County Discuss strengths/ weaknesses Continuum Interview one another with set questions Other activities for camp setting Self-Portraits Only themselves Using anything but themselves First memories Favorite space Journal Team-building/ energizers A fieldtrip to a local photographic exhibition Useful Tools

26. Team-building/ Energizers

27. Self-Portrait Activity

28. Self-Portrait Activity

29. Self-Portrait Activity

30. First Memory

31. Fieldtrip to local exhibition

32. Photovoice Disposable Very accessible Limited number of photographs Low cost/ time consuming Anticipation of ‘waiting’ Digital High quality Instant Many photographs Tripod Participatory Video Equipment checklist Mini DV camera Microphone (s) Tripod Extra batteries if no electrical outlet Flipchart paper for Storyboard Rain location, if outside What Type of Equipment to Use?

33. Photovoice No editing Adobe Photoshop or other editing program Participatory Video Facilitate a paper edit View footage and group decides what to keep/ delete Chooses background music and other graphics Editing Suite Editing

34. Exhibitions & Screenings • Discuss potential change early on • Set realistic expectations • Encourage involvement of community leaders at early stage • Give clear instructions as what you’d like invited guests to do • Prepare group for questions and responses by audience • Involve youth in preparation • Determine your venue(s) • Equipment needs – projector, microphone

35. Rent vs. Purchase Equipment Once off project, a pilot project or long-term Spent $1,000 on four digital cameras with memory sticks Area business - sponsor a camera Rented video equipment Supplies Flip chart paper, paper, pens, construction paper, notebooks Recording tapes, DVDs, extra batteries Exhibition & Screenings Size of exhibition/ length of video Spent $1,000 for 50 photographs – foam mounted Copies of DVDs Refreshments Facilitators What to charge participants? Grants Adobe Youth Voices Funding

36. Evaluation • Evaluation of the process not strong • The three phases and overall guidance; participants asked: • What would I not change • What I would change • Discussion points • Open to other methods

37. Power & Ethics • What responsibilities does one have when using a camera? • What is an acceptable way to approach someone when you want to photograph or video them? • What types of situations or images would you want to avoid capturing? • What happens to the photographs/ videos after the project?

38. Points to Ponder • Gaining consent/ permission • Intrusion into one’s private space • True but embarrassing facts • Placing someone in a false light • Making profit at someone else’s expense

39. Planning A Day Camp • Hit the ground running • Have a Plan B i.e. what if it rains the week of your camp • Hold informational meeting prior to camp to discuss objectives and expectations plus logistics • Limit technical training; maximize ‘learn by doing’ • Complete the first two phases during camp • Exhibition/ screening will require additional meetings • Keep participants in mind • Length and timing of activities • Day camp: Give ‘homework’ • Schedule breaks, energizers and keep it fun • Factor in evaluation time • Remember safety and ethical concerns

40. Additional Resources • www.photovoice.com • www.photovoice.org • www.insightshare.org (NGO in Oxford, England doing Participatory Video) • Kay, A. (2000) Art and community development: The role the arts have in regenerating communities. Community Development Journal, 35 (4): 414-424. • Wang, C.C., M.A. Burris, and X. Yueping (1996) Chinese village women as visual anthropologists: A participatory approach to reaching policymakers, Social Science Medicine 42 (10): 1391-1400. • Wang, C.C. (1999) Photovoice: A participatory action research strategy applied to women’s health, Journal of Women’s Health 8 (2): 185-192. • Wang, C.C., J.L. Cash, and L.S. Powers (2000) Who knows the streets as well as the homeless? Promoting personal and community action through Photovoice, Health Promotion Practice 1 (1): 81-89. • Wang, C.C. and Y.A. Redwood-Jones (2001). Photovoice ethics: Perspectives from Flint Photovoice, Health Education & Behavior 28 (5): 560-572. • Wang, C.C., S. Morrel-Samuels, P.M. Hutchison, L. Bell, R.M. Pestronk (2004a) Flint Photovoice: Community Building Amount Youths, Adults and Policy-makers, American Journal of Public Health 94 (6): 911-914. • White, S. (Ed) (2003) Participatory video: Images that transform and empower, (pp. 63-101). New Delhi: Sage Publications. • Google ‘participatory video’ for additional resources.

41. Thank you Contact Julie Tritz julietritz@gmail.com

42. “Picture This: A Snapshot of Health in California”courtesy ofwww.photovoice.com • Location – Co. Contra Costa, San Francisco Bay area • Who was Involved? • Contra Costa County Health Department • 60 participants recruited from selected areas • Objective • Enable people to depict their perceptions of their strengths and concerns • Increase their collective knowledge through group discussion • Educate other community leaders about issues that emerged

43. Itmay not look like they serve great food here, but they do. You can come here and see the same old faces. It is a community spot where people get together and respect each other.

44. This is a picture of a park behind my house. I don't trust my kids going there. There are bottles and trash. The signs went up last summer, supposedly the city has no more money to take care of the park.

45. People died on this highway–this is Highway 4. Last week a mother and her little boy got killed. This is a major highway here and the city is too cheap to make it two lanes each way. Someone died here because someone won't fix the road.

46. What did they do with photos? • Education/ Disseminate • Community health fair • Exhibition at the Co. Health Department • Invited exhibition at state-wide conference