Photovoice has an enormous amount of potential as a tool for data collection in participatory action research. I think that providing people with the opportunity to participate in research in community is a great idea that can truly catalyse community engagement in various projects, and may also positively impact the flow of honest, in depth responses to questions, and research initiatives overall. Photovoice as a research technique has been used globally within various demographics, and has been used successfully among groups that are faced with serious challenges. These groups have included people living with disabilities and medical conditions, as well as those who have faced various intersections of adversities due to their social locations. Photovoice provides the opportunity for people with various experiences to contribute to data collection including those whose experiences often go unnoticed by those in power (Rabinowitz).
A marginalised group that I would like to work with is Black immigrants to Canada. I think that using photovoice can effectively be used to help Black people from different countries and backgrounds find connections and a sense of community through sharing their experiences with each other and with society. I think that their needs would be demonstrated by the photos that they share of places that they visit frequently for varied reasons. I believe that their perceptions and thoughts may be individual and unique, but can also resonate with others who have had to make journeys toward settlement and adaptation in Canada. Photovoice on the settlement stories of Black immigrants could be a great example of a successful photovoice project. It could be very interesting to see the differences and similarities in the routes that people take into the country. Where some might have entered the country with ease, others could have been subject to dangerous and even perilous travel experiences. I think that representation matters greatly and that Black people deserve to share their stories with others, especially those who reside in their communities. People who identify as Black often come from different religious and cultural backgrounds, so I feel that photovoice can be a very useful tool to highlight and share knowledge on these differences. Hergenrather writes that the research method of photovoice provides the chance to use photos which address community issues, presenting them in order to empower reflection on community strengths as well as community needs. Participants can share personal knowledge and issues as well as develop spaces for dialogue and centering of those with lived experiences (Hergenrather, 2009). Photovoice can help to underline areas of society that are working well to improve the quality of life of Black immigrants and it may also be used to point out the lack of, and need for new or increased services specific to the needs of the eclectic Black community. Another reason photovoice can be used as a useful tool is because it transcends boundaries that could be posed by the need for use of language or words. Since the focus of photovoice is to educate using photos, it decreases limitations around who may be interested or willing to participate in this sort of research activity. Photovoice is a powerful research method that I would be very excited to incorporate into my future attempts at advocacy.
References
Hergenrather, K. (2009). Photovoice as community-based participatory research: A qualitative review. American Journal of Health Behavior, 33(6). https://doi.org/10.5993/ajhb.33.6.6
Rabinowitz, P. (n.d.). Section 20. implementing photovoice in your community. Chapter 3. Assessing Community Needs and Resources | Section 20. Implementing Photovoice in Your Community | Main Section | Community Tool Box. Retrieved February 17, 2023, from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/photovoice/main
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