Photovoice for Change Project Showcases Experiences of Foster Youth

Clockwise from upper left: Study participant Malik with his adult supporter, Mr. Johnson; participant Destiny with Dr. Michelle Munson, Moiyattu Banya and Dr. Colleen Katz; participant Sharondra; and participant Johnny with his adult supporter, Ms. Gomez.

Year-long expressive arts research project designed to empower foster youth concludes with a gallery show.

Many studies focus on the challenges faced by young people in foster care but few involve youth as full partners with the aim of amplifying their lived experiences. An exception is the recently completed Photovoice for Change (P4C) project, led by NYU Silver Professor Michelle Munson and Silberman School of Social Work Associate Professor Colleen Katz, in partnership with current and former foster youth. The year-long project culminated in a gallery show of photos by youth participants, who documented places and spaces that have impacted their lives in care.

“Photovoice enables young people to be at the center of telling their own stories,” said PhD candidate and P4C Project Director Moiyattu Banya. She explained that P4C is a community-based research method by which participants express themselves through photos and writing. The child welfare-experienced youth drove the project, from selecting the prompt, “The Places and Spaces that have Influenced the Journey,” through displaying their work. Along the way, they received coaching and attended small group sessions to discuss their photos and themes.

The photos displayed covered a wide range of subjects, such as: a memorial candle to be placed at a mural honoring a participant’s mother, a single flower resting on a sidewalk, a lush wooded lane, a vintage building under repair, a poster promoting the Eiffel Tower, and a beach with waves rippling onto the shore. 

Participant Cheyanne, who shared photos of her late parents on their wedding day, distinguished the project from her previous involvement in research. “Most of the time, I’m asked to share a story that’s kind of morbid or something horrible that I’ve gone through in my life or that relates to the foster care system or something that could be improved. Just sharing the photos that I chose to share [expressed] something beautiful about my life and something that I cherish.”

“I had no idea it was going to affect me as much as it did,” said participant Kiki, who captured a bird on a street surrounded by six hatchlings in one photo and a street at dusk with bare trees and power lines hovering over houses and parked cars in another. “This program moved mountains inside of me. I had no idea I even had mountains inside of me that could move.”

All of the youth who participated in P4C receive services from The Children’s Village, a child welfare agency that was a key collaborator on the project. Other collaborators included Dr. Astraea Augsberger, Associate Professor Boston University School of Social Work, Kerry Moles, Executive Director Court Appointed Special Advocates of New York City (CASA NYC), Dave Collins, Chief Program Officer of The Children’s Village, and Dr. LaShawnda Kilgore of the Children’s Defense Fund, in partnership with members of the CASA NYC Youth Advisory Board. The project was funded by a grant from the Marion E. Kenworthy-Sarah H. Swift Foundation. 

About NYU Silver

Founded in 1960 and renowned for a strong tradition of excellence in direct social work practice and dedication to social justice, NYU Silver has provided rigorous training to more than 20,000 social work practitioners and leaders in every area of the field, making it the leading destination for students who want to become innovative practitioners at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work practice. The School has four campuses in the heart of New York City, Rockland County, Westchester County, and Shanghai.