D6.01 - Deep Dive: The Art and Skill of Using Photovoice for Social Justice and Health Equity

Brief Abstract Summary: There is exhaustive list of journal articles describing Photovoice studies, but it is hard to find publications or presentations on the step-by-step process of Photovoice. This skill building session will lead participants through the journey of conceptualizing, designing, and implementing Photovoice. It is designed for public health education students or professionals at any career stage who want to build Photovoice knowledge and skills. Presenters will introduce foundational concepts, share samples of their Photovoice projects, describe the processes involved in a Photovoice project and facilitate guided pair or small group discussions for participants to discuss how they might implement this process in their respective settings. Participants will practice by taking the role of co-researchers who jointly develop a topic of focus, take photos, and participate in a Photovoice discussion. The session will conclude with a discussion on potential advocacy and policy change actions.

Detailed abstract description: Photovoice is a qualitative, participatory, action research method that originated in public health education 30 years ago. With theoretical roots in Paolo Freire's approaches to empowerment education, feminist theories, and documentary photography, it has been widely lauded as a qualitative research method that can also serve as a health promotion tool with potential to empower participants and generate rich, qualitative data. Indeed, the original creators designed Photovoice to explore strengths and needs about family planning with women in rural China. However, although there is an exhaustive list of journal articles describing Photovoice studies, it is rare to find a publication or presentation detailing the Photovoice process step by step. Therefore, utilizing lessons from their 2021 publication "Photovoice for Social Justice: Visual Representation in Action", the authors will lead this skill building intensive for participants to learn how to conceptualize, design, and implement a Photovoice in their own settings. This session is designed for public health education students or professionals at any stage of their career who want to build knowledge and skills with Photovoice. Presenters will introduce foundational concepts, share samples of their own Photovoice projects, take participants through the steps and processes involved in Photovoice, and facilitate guided pair or small group discussions for participants to discuss how they might implement this process in their respective settings. Then, the core skill-building activity for this session will be to practice a simulation whereby participants will take the role of co-researchers who jointly develop a topic of focus within the setting at SOPHE, take photos, and are guided through an example of a Photovoice discussion. Finally, the presenters will facilitate debriefing, reflection, and brief discussion on potential advocacy and policy change actions and offer a question-and-answer session. Emphasis on maintaining the three original goals of Photovoice research will be infused throughout the session, which are to enable to record and reflect community strengths and concerns, promote critical dialogue through discussion of photos, and reach policy makers.