Flint Photovoice: Community Building Among Youths, Adults, and Policymakers

TLDR

The study uses participatory‑action photovoice with 41 youths and adults to document community assets and concerns, discuss images, and engage policymakers. The project recruited 41 youths and adults, invited policymakers to take photographs, and enlisted community leaders to provide political support, following established photovoice methodology. The initiative enabled youths to voice concerns about neighborhood violence to policymakers, secured funding for violence prevention, and yielded positive effects from involving policymakers as adult participants.

Abstract

Flint Photovoice represents the work of 41 youths and adults recruited to use a participatory-action research approach to photographically document community assets and concerns, critically discuss the resulting images, and communicate with policymakers. At the suggestion of grassroots community leaders, we included policymakers among those asked to take photographs. In accordance with previously established photovoice methodology, we also recruited at the project’s outset another group of policymakers and community leaders to provide political will and support for implementing photovoice participants’ policy and program recommendations. Flint Photovoice enabled youths to express their concerns about neighborhood violence to policymakers and was instrumental in acquiring funding for local violence prevention. We note salutary outcomes produced by the inclusion of policymakers among adults who took photographs.