Hopeful Families - Photo Voice in Huddersfield
The world we live in is absolutely saturated with imagery. We are bombarded daily through our phones, computers, TV’s, magazines and newspapers.
Many of these photographs are purposefully presented to persuade us to react in a particular way. Seldom do we have the opportunity to stop, take a closer look and ponder WHY these images make us react the way that they do, let alone WHAT message is contained within.
That’s exactly what we did in this project with Hopeful Families which is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and European Social Fund grant to help people into Employment, Education and Training.
The aims for this Photo Voice project were to provide a positive creative outlet for people involved with Hopeful Families. Building confidence, learning new skills and supporting people’s well being by expressing their thoughts and feelings through photography.
One of the many things that I love about Photovoice is how it can be tailored to suit any audience or situation, and while the content or focus of workshops can change from one group to the next, there are four key themes that underpin the approach:
Visual language - how we ‘read’ photographs and how what you see might not be what I see (and that’s ok)! if we understand the language of imagery we can use it to tell our own stories.
Photo walks - getting out and about taking photos of the world around us, creating opportunities to see things from different perspectives and paying attention to the details of life going on all around.
Life through a lens - reflecting on our own lives, the people and places that are important. Creating images which represent things that we are passionate about.
Exhibition - creating a set of images which relate to a chosen theme. An exhibition is held which creates a wider conversation to think about the themes shared through the exhibit.
Over the course of eight workshops the Hopeful Families group came to talk, listen, connect, share and create together - there were so many powerful moments during this project. I am truly humbled and honoured that people felt able to share their personal stories together - of challenges that they’ve had in life, of people that they have lost as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.
Photography is a wonderful way to talk about stuff that can often be difficult to find words for - together we shared our experiences and began to think about themes that could form the basis of an exhibition.
It was an amazing experience to be part of these conversations - but don’t just take my word for it! Rhona Mulvihill project manager at Hopeful Families said:
As a service, Hopeful Families is all about empowering our participants and helping them to overcome whatever challenges they may face. Photovoice was the perfect tool to support our approach as it gave our participants a voice through a lens. For some, it helped them find their actual voice through the discussions that took place which were at times very emotive but also really positive.
I took part in the project myself and personally I wished it could carry on as I was enjoying learning so many new things. It gave us the opportunity to learn from and with each other not just about photography but also to connect with each other personally. Chris was very welcoming and his enthusiasm and passion rubbed off on us all. He was able to create a safe and supportive environment where everyone felt comfortable to share their stories and experiences.
On behalf of Hopeful Families and YCC. I want to thank Chris for expanding our personal lenses and helping us to find our PhotoVoice!
We’ll be showcasing the photographs created by members of the Hopeful Families project at an exhibition in Huddersfield town centre starting 14th January 2022 see HERE for more details.
The exhibition will also feature work created by young people in Huddersfield as part of a separate Photovoice project. The exhibition will be open until 4th Feb after which time the Hopeful Families photos will go on display at Yorkshire Children’s Centre.