aforceforyouthandfamilies aforce foryouthandfamilies
Voices, Seen A rain-streaked windshield and a street sign don’t normally warrant more than a passing glance. But four high school students found deeper meaning in them as perfect visuals to express their feelings about mental health. With help from doctoral student Stacy Huff and the NC Healthy Transitions pilot program, they found a creative approach to depict their experiences when it comes to anxiety, self-esteem, hope, and security. The students in Buncombe County, North Carolina, first saw their photovoice exhibit unveiled to the public on September 14, in the lobby of Asheville’s new County Health and Human Services building. The exhibit is comprised of photos participants took while going about their lives. Metal plaques next to each photo share quotes from the students, connecting the images to aspects of their mental well-being. The photo of the windshield in the rain represents a drive to school, and on a deeper level, the stress and repetitiveness of school days. A black-and-white photo of a crocheted bouquet, with one flower appearing brighter than the others, represents focusing on the outcome. “It represents how this participant tries to focus on a bright spot as a motivation to get through challenges,” Huff says. Suicide is one of the top five leading causes of death for people ages 10 to 65 in the state. As awareness grows about mental health, Huff, who is getting her doctorate in educational research methodology, wants to help get resources into the hands of young people. It was important for Huff to not only put young people at the center
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of her research, but to give them a voice in the process. “As much as you might presume to know what they’re going to say or what they want, you really don’t,” she says. It’s one reason she uses photovoice, a research method that employs photography to break down and explore social issues. “It’s community-based action research,” she says. “It involves participants in the data collection, and it gives results back to the community as a traveling exhibit.” The idea was attractive to her mentor Dr. Tiffany Tovey who connected her with the NC Healthy Transitions Program, for which Tovey is an external evaluator. “Pictures tell deep stories and encourage people to reflect on their own experiences,” she says. “Stacy’s photovoice project falls right in line with our program’s valuing of youth voice and choice, of reflecting actual experiences of youth,” says project director Willow Burgess-Johnson. Tovey granted Huff’s request to lead the project. “I have an enormous amount of gratitude,” Huff says. “She let me take charge but was always my safety net.” Huff adds that her work reflects the UNCG School of Education’s emphasis on cultural responsiveness. “To be culturally responsive, you need to give back as well as take. You’re not just taking data. You’re also giving back to that same community.” To develop the exhibit, participants took photos with some guidance from a professional photographer, presented them to the group, and