Solomon studies a picture from an Atlanta photo project.
Long Branch Neighbor Corps met on January 6th after a two-week hiatus. Even without formal meetings, members managed to stay in touch over the holidays through, of all things, CAMERAS.
LB Neighbor Corps is in the first phase of a PhotoVoice project. PhotoVoice is a method of storytelling using participatory photography. PhotoVoice projects have been conducted throughout the world to help community members represent themselves and achieve positive social change.
Corps members discuss the potential power of a PhotoVoice project in Long Branch.
During the holiday break, Corps members worked together to document their lives in Long Branch. Pairs of Corps members shared cameras and experiences over a two week period. At this evening’s meeting they brought their cameras (full of pictures to be printed) and an eagerness to learn more about the possibilities of photo-documentation.
Ronnie closes his eyes and listens as a picture is being described.
Ronnie told the group about a PhotoVoice project that he participated in in Atlanta, Georgia called Dirty Truth. That project had downtown Atlanta residents document the city’s vacant property challenges through pictures. Ultimately, the photo exhibit was the catalyst for $35 million dollars in investment in those same challenged neighborhoods.
The next step for the LB Neighbor Corps PhotoVoice project will be to have each member choose a single significant photo from among the pictures they’ve taken and tell the story behind it. As more and more stories are told, emerging themes will be identified. Those themes will be used to shape the targeted issues of the Long Branch PhotoVoice exhibit.
Keep checking this blog to follow the progess of the Long Branch PhotoVoice project and to see some of the pictures taken by Neighbor Corps members!
