"Doing TIME in Athens": A Photovoice Journey With Adolescents in Search of Social Change and the Unintended Benefit of Positive Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

"Doing TIME (This Is My Environment) in Athens" was a photovoice project involving a group of adolescents from the town of Athens, Georgia. The purpose of the "TIME" study was to use photovoice methodology to teach participating young people how to enact social change in their community. Participants were charged with taking photographs that best represented (a) what they liked about their community and (b) what they would like to see changed. Participants took a total of 67 photographs; these were methodically narrowed down to 26 photographs using a combination of open-ended discussion questions and semistructured interview questions. The final photographs represented five themes: (a) economic injustice, (b) segregation by race and class, (c) animal rights and neglect, (d) love of the arts, and (e) a sense of belonging and pride. These photographs were then captioned, framed, and displayed at a local historic art gallery, where local residents, university officials, and policy-makers were invited to discuss the youth photographers’ concerns.