Methodology
PhotoVoice works to:
- Set up long-term photographic projects, training marginalised and disadvantaged groups worldwide in photojournalism skills
- Provide training and consultancy to other international development organisations and grassroots organisations wishing to introduce participatory photography into their work
- Promote the images produced in participatory photography projects through the web, newsletters, mainstream media, development media, events and exhibitions
- Provide a network and forum for participatory photography projects around the world – their practitioners and beneficiaries - both through an online forum and a quarterly projects forum
- Provide training, materials and best practice guidelines for other individuals and organisations wishing to implement participatory photography projects
- Carry out research into the benefits and objectives of participatory photography, thereby remaining at the forefront of methodology and best practice in the sector
PhotoVoice projects aim to bring about positive social change in the following ways:
PhotoVoice Projects promote SELF–DEVELOPMENT through:
- Providing a unique means for expression and creativity
- Enabling vulnerable groups to work through difficulties or trauma that they may have experienced, in a safe and secure workshop environment
- Encouraging participants to gain confidence in their capabilities and their role in civil society
PhotoVoice Projects promote ADVOCACY through:
- Enabling those who are traditionally the subjects of photography to become its creator
- Giving a voice to those who are too often ignored or silenced
- Enabling participants to become advocates for change
- Enabling participants to inform and affect policy on local and international levels
PhotoVoice Projects may also promote A BETTER STANDARD OF LIVING for PhotoVoice participants through:
- Providing training in vocational photography and media skills
- Supporting particularly talented individuals in pursuing further studies in photography
- Setting up apprenticeship schemes and work placements in conjunction with other media and training bodies in the project countries
- Selling and marketing images produced by PhotoVoice participants on their behalf
Images from PhotoVoice projects:
- Provide alternative and more direct perspectives than images traditionally used in mainstream media
- Are used to raise awareness on local and international levels, amongst both policy makers and the general public
- Are used in school and NGO educational packs and resources
- Are used as a form of inter-cultural communication between participants from different projects and countries
- Are sold to raise money for the continuation and expansion of PhotoVoice projects and to generate income for the photographers themselves.
