February 5, 2025
By Laura Lorenz, Photovoice Worldwide Inc.
There are so many possibilities for developing shared understandings with photovoice. For making a difference in your community. For practicing democracy.
You never know what treasures you might find when you are not even looking.
Just the other day I was cleaning out my beads and art supplies as I prepared to move to Virginia, closer to my daughter and granddaughter. A small stamp had been hanging around, hidden among the random beads that somehow linger on my art table after I finish a necklace.
I had been aware of its presence but had not paid much attention. As I poured the last scattered beads into a small bag and slid its short red zipper closed, the stamp caught my eye.
It was face down on the table, the only thing left. A tiny, blank rectangle with a ragged edge. I picked it up and turned it over.
“FREEDOM TO SPEAK OUT – A ROOT OF DEMOCRACY”
The message gave me pause. The words on a 1977 stamp turning up today – one day before the presidential inauguration.
A visual paired with words – like a photovoice photo and its caption.
An enduring passion of mine since 2000, Photovoice creates opportunities for ordinary people – for youth and patients, for you and me – to have the freedom to speak out in a safe space.
Working together, understanding grows as photovoice co-learners follow “A Photovoice Path” to
- take photos
- reflect
- share experiences
- write captions
- aim for impact
The group work, or “co-learning,” shapes the “speaking out,” which is then shared in exhibits, booklets, poems, videos, and websites aimed at reaching people in power, or policy makers.
The small stamp shows a podium, which suggests power. It also suggests a one-way conversation. With photovoice, we experience dialogue. We learn together.
There are so many possibilities for developing shared understandings with photovoice. For making a difference in your community. For practicing democracy.
Where can you practice democracy with photovoice?
Notes: The United States Postal Service published this US 2-cent stamp in 1977 as part of its Americana series. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_1980.2493.6057
About the author: Laura Lorenz is cofounder and educator at PhotovoiceWorldwide Inc., a small business facilitating training, consulting, and community around the photovoice method. Her essay was inspired by @heathercoxrichardson.
Hashtags: #photovoiceworldwide, #photovoice, #DemocracyInAction, #participatoryphotography #ParticipatoryResearch #AdvocacyThroughArt #VisualMethods #SocialChange #democracy #speakout #safespace #sharedunderstanding
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