“Being Able to be Heard Is What Everyone Wants”: Co-Creating Transformative Change through Participatory Action Using Photovoice

Introduction: Youth in foster care are resilient and creative, repeatedly overcoming the odds to become thriving adults. This youth participatory action research project (yPAR) examined the perspectives of various constituents (e.g., youth participants, advisory board members, coaches, administrators) involved in a trauma-informed expressive arts program, Photovoice for Change, which harnessed photography as a vehicle for youth voice and transformation.

Methods: This project brought together young adult advisors with child welfare histories and inter-disciplinary professionals to develop and launch P4C. Advisors decided on “The Places and Spaces that Have Impacted the Journey” as the prompt for P4C. In-depth interviews were conducted one-on-one with youth, advisory board members, coaches and administrators (N=11) to build knowledge on the process and outcomes of P4C. Interviews were professionally transcribed. A coding team followed the steps of thematic analysis, using line-by-line coding, constant comparison, and reflexivity. Disagreements were handled by consensus.

Results: Five themes emerged in the data. First, Processing emotions as part of the artistic process: [“Definitely think it is powerful because it gives you the ability to kind of tap in with your own emotions and try to expand and understand how you really feel...and just like talking to people too. So I really feel like everybody should exercise this kind of thing”]. Another theme was, Finding voice and owning one’s narrative, with one participant noting: [“But just being able to choose, having a voice and being able to just share the experience, to be honest. Being able to be heard, which is what everybody wants”]. Another theme was, The Power of social relationships and community, one participant discussed the support from the coaches involved with the program: [“Definitely emotional...I kind of just started to get to know the coach that was with me...So it was a relief to just have somebody just to want to listen to me, honestly. Because being in foster care, you don’t get that a lot. You don’t get somebody to say, Hey, sit down. I’ll just listen to you...”]. Another theme was Skill development: [“I learned about myself and just learning that I could acquire new skills”]. Finally, Creative exploration in a child welfare program: “A whole, another universe...you could see the difference from when you pick up, and you capture it rather than just looking at it and trying to imagine what it could really be like besides what you’re really looking at. And I see something completely different every time I pick up the camera”]. Following the P4C project, the team held a gallery showing with a variety of advocates, researchers, leaders, family and friends in attendance.

Conclusion: Results highlight the value of prioritizing community-based partnerships guided by participatory action. Our team co-created P4C, a program that transformed youth, staff, and the larger organizations involved. The project highlights the need for child welfare practitioners and policy makers to utilize youth-focused approaches. Data highlight that these approaches build on the strengths of the youth, ultimately centering their voices, and helping them connect to supportive adults and thrive.