Examples of data collectedPeople in school People outside of school Family Relationships

Protection Memories Religion

Coping AspirationsStrengths

“Some people kill these days and that’s why we have police so that they can help.”

ArtVOICE: Adapting the PhotoVOICE Method for Use with Homeless ChildrenTaylor Bishop, Daniel Hains, & Bret Kloos

Photovoice is a participatory action research (PAR) method that can be used to engage community members and policy makers in advocating a grassroots perspective of an issue (Wang & Pies, 2004). The core concepts include (Wang, 1999):

• Enhancing knowledge about an issue• Attributing meaning to relevant images• Encouraging community participation in shaping public policy• Sharing new perspectives with influential people• Emphasizing individual and community action

In 2009, a photovoice project was completed with children identified as homeless (i.e. any child that lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; McKinney-Vento Act) in the Richland One school district of Columbia, SC (Asiamah, Bishop & Kloos, 2009). The method was modified to address the challenges experienced, including a high attrition rate (78%), maintaining topic focus, and collecting assent of individuals photographed. Art-based activities can provide an opportunity for children to express fears, feelings, and important issues (Coad, 2007) because children may retrieve information about their experience more easily with perceptual stimuli. Asking children to draw and talk about pictures emphasizes the value of their perceptions and allows them to take on the role of the “expert” (Horstman, Aldiss, Richardson, & Gibson, 2008).

Children residing at one of three agencies between the ages 6-12 were asked to participate, and parental consent was collected. Participants were asked to brainstorm “people, places, and things that help,” and were then provided with materials to illustrate an idea with art. Afterwards, participants explained their drawings to a facilitator, who acted as a scribe by recording verbatim responses (Horstman, et al., 2008). Facilitators photocopied and later returned the original work to participants (Coad, 2007). Each participant was asked to participate three times with hopes that they could also participate in a discussion group. Group discussions among participants, parents, and staff addressed common themes and ideas for how the project could be useful in the community.

Goals ResultsTo modify the traditional photovoice method to accommodate the participation of children

10 children, ages 7-12, participated in ArtVOICE

Reduce attrition rates of participants Data collection process was streamlined and collected more efficiently. Discussion groups remained challenging.

Countering stigma and stereotypes of homelessness in Columbia, SC

Copies of a presentation were distributed to participating locations. No use in the broad community has been documented at this time.

Providing a tool for local stakeholders to advocate for the needs and strengths of homeless youth

Copies of a presentation were distributed to participating locations. Use varied by setting.

Empowering homeless children to advocate for their strengths and needs

Attrition rates prevented participants from engaging in self-advocacy.

Facilitating discussions about sharing the materials in the community was limited by the number of participants and families that had moved from the participating agencies; therefore, many participants could not be consulted when the project was finished. An additional challenge presented in determining the use of materials; follow-ups revealed that two participating agencies were unable to locate the sent materials. A staff member of the third agency expressed uncertainty regarding the ethical use of images. Shelter residents and staff agreed that ArtVOICE materials could be useful for advocacy and promotion efforts in the community. Differing values were apparent between residents and staff regarding image use; residents decided that use in fundraising efforts would not be appropriate, whereas agency staff noted a desire to obtain materials for fundraising and promotion. It was evident that all parties wished to avoid potential exploitation of the artwork created by children; however, the definition of such abuse remained ambiguous. One

Lessons learned

About homeless children

About Participatory Action Research This effort could have been enhanced by discussing in greater detail agency goals for

project materials. It is important to establish agreement about the goals and values among all parties before beginning a PAR project (Cherniss, 1976). Initial communication with both participants and agency staff about the intended use and analysis of the products of the project is essential (Coad, 2007). Furthermore, the use of materials in community advocacy efforts must be practical for agency use. Digital media provides a tool for easy dissemination; however, if a presentation is made that is not specific to an agency’s goals or practical given the amount of time it consumes, the materials may not be as useful as one might hope.

It is important that community stakeholders are informed about the ethical use of project materials in order to avoid exploitation of vulnerable populations. The information gleaned through PAR is subject to dilemmas of interpretation and representation because the use of these materials is largely determined by those that have access to these materials for use in the community (Wang & Pies, 2004). Specific guidelines regulating the use of materials would be beneficial in clarifying how these materials may be used.

Use among participants to promote change and self-advocacy is a core principle of PAR (Balcazar et al., 2004); however, it may be difficult to engage participants in this process. Encouraging participants to engage in self-advocacy and action at the initiation of and throughout PAR projects may enhance this goal before rates of attrition become high. Participants must contribute to the development of a mechanism by which this can occur in order to further enhance the empowerment objective of PAR.

Introduction

Method

“My mom doesn’t have enough money for a tutor… when I grow up I want to be able to spell words ‘cause they might give me an application for a job.”

“He made me and its important because he can get me out of foster care.”

My mom “help(s) me… with my homework. When I go to school and don’t get the answer right I feel guilty.”

ResultsThe 10 children who resided with an agency providing transient housing participated in the

ArtVOICE project. The method offered a novel way to tap the creativity, experiences, and strengths of participants. Thematic categories were identified by grouping content across subjects and included: • People in school that help • People outside of school that help• Family relationships• Religion• Protection

“If you help people, they will do the same to you… you get the same respect.” I wish “all the people around the world could be more helpful.”

“When I get into a bad situation, I have to think of things to calm me down… [and] to tell me the bad situation is almost gone and I should not have had the bad situation in the first place.” “College… I can go to work

and get a house and a car and play basketball. I want to get an education.”

“its messy inside, but its filled up with emotion. [It’s] my grandma’s house… we were supposed to go to Indiana bud didn’t make it.”

“Its sunny, this is Palmetto Place. It helps me by being away from home, away from the drama.”

Advantages

• Streamlined data collection reduces the detriment of high attrition rates

• Greater focus on the project theme among child participants

• Successfully facilitates communication with children

• Eliminates the need to collect consent of those portrayed

• Ability to illustrate topics that are not able to be photographed

Disadvantages

• May not be conducive for all participants (e.g. age, perceived talent)

• May require more time to collect data with participants

• More sessions are required for data collection before discussion session

• Original artwork is not available for use (drawings were scanned)

Similar Challenges

• Building rapport• Attrition • Distractions within the

setting• Communicating with

agency staff (e.g. scheduling, use of materials)

• Deciding how materials can be used for advocacy and promotion without exploiting the work of participants

• Establishing outcomes for empowerment and policy change (Wang & Pies, 2004)

Similar to the photovoice method, ArtVOICE is able to provide rich data containing both narrative and visual information. Compared with the photovoice method, ArtVOICE:

Homeless children were able to identify many social supports and personal strengths that help them to overcome adversity. Although many of the explanations and discussions were related to homelessness issues and challenges, the broadband themes appeared to be normative enough to counteract stigma and stereotype of homelessness. Children revealed dreams and aspirations, as well as strengths and coping mechanisms that prepare them for success.

“I have to keep working hard.”

staff member suggested that similar PAR projects should give participants the option to allow their work to be used in fundraising. It was also suggested that a condensed, site-specific presentation may be most useful for an agency to engage in advocacy and promotion.

Discussion

• Coping strategies and self reflection• Positive and negative memories• Goals and aspirations• Personal strengths