Giving Voice to Alcohol & Substance Abuse Through Pictures

Thanks to our friends at the Partnership for a Healthier NYC, I had the opportunity to view a fantastic tool to help  immunities illustrate the problem of alcohol and substance abuse to others...called PhotoVoice.  First Developed in 1995 as a means for women living in rural China to communicate important health messages to policy makers,  the process puts cameras into the hands of community members and uses pictures and captions to document the social, political, and economic realities of our  neighborhoods.  It is an often visually stunning way to capture a problem and it's consequences that simple data cannot give.

Currently, Photo Voice projects are used globally as an effective strategy to involve young people into the conversation about what they face daily when dealing with drugs, alcohol, and other public health and safety concerns.  It has served as a catalyst to inform the about issues and gather feedback on ways to address the problem.

Projects can be both short and long term and incorporate other  community engagement events and media campaigns.   PhotoVoice is definitely a useful tool that can have a major impact on your neighborhood.   The PRC will have more information on starting a PhotoVoice project in your community soon...stay tuned!

Until next time,

-Scott

P.S. - Never heard about the Partnership for a Healthier NYC?  Come to our Community Networking Seminar and learn more about their work.

Check out a few examples of PhotoVoice projects