These virtual galleries showcase the images and reflections that high school students created as part of their participation in EMPOWER, a PhotoVoice program implemented as part of the Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America (SALaMA). In these exhibits, first- and second-generation students of Arab heritage explore topics such as identity, well-being, and life in Chicago and the Detroit Metropolitan Area through their chosen images and captions.
What is PhotoVoice?
PhotoVoice is a participatory action research method that uses photography, a medium that transcends language and literacy barriers, to empower individuals to express themselves, inform others of their realities or concerns, and actively engage in decisions that affect their own lives and communities. Participants are provided with a series of prompts to guide their picture-taking, and the photographs are used to facilitate discussion around key topics of interest. Discussions are audio-recorded and transcribed; then, participants are guided to analyze their own qualitative data by generating thematic codes, organizing codes into diagrams, and designing action plan posters to present their findings to the community.
Chicago PhotoVoice
St. Louis PhotoVoice
