Parting Words
One thing we found interesting was seeing the flexibility of PhotoVoice as a student reflection and learning tool. PhotoVoice allows the students to consolidate and process what they think about thriving and how it applies to their lives today, living through a pandemic.
The fact that we implemented PhotoVoice in both the curricular and co-curricular contexts demonstrates its flexibility in yet another way. For example, when we implemented PhotoVoice in an existing co-curricular mentorship program, it led us to consider all the different ways somebody could embed it in future programming, for example, in Orientation, psycho-educational groups, or Thriving in Action.
When we implemented PhotoVoice in the curricular context, we began to understand the tool’s flexibility in another way. Embedding PhotoVoice into the classroom gives students the opportunity to serve as a mentor or mentee, giving them a voice within the institution through their photos and narratives to express what they feel about their post-secondary educational experience, and what they may need from the institution in order to thrive. Thereby, participating in a PhotoVoice project provides them with an opportunity to potentially influence how faculty and staff can support them in their journey through the post-secondary context.
For example, one fourth-year student said: I wish I had a mentor when I was in my first year. Another fourth-year student reflected that they learned as much from their mentee as their mentee learned from them. And yet another fourth-year student stated: I met my mentee, and you know it turned out to be fantastic. We talked for an hour about all sorts of things. This student concluded that they had made this connection with their mentee for this project, and it was a surprisingly positive, pleasant experience.
We also noted that the PhotoVoice project seemed to provide a space to connect and find common ground with international students, despite having many differences among them, including country of origin and program of study. The students discovered that they share a common interest in how they thrive and just having that space to reflect and think about what helps us thrive was experienced as something wonderful.
Finally, given that the original roots of PhotoVoice are as a participatory action or community-based research tool, we thought that we should identify some of the common themes that ran through the posters displayed in the virtual exhibit for both the university and college students. From a cursory review of the posters, we identified five broad themes about thriving; that thriving emerges from and within these students’ experiences of creativity, nature, travel, exercise/self-care, and a sense of familiarity.
In conclusion, we feel that it is the flexibility of the PhotoVoice program that is its greatest strength, and we sincerely hope that you too discover the many ways it can work best for you in your context!
