Change the Picture
Change the Picture (2007-8) was a participatory photography, writing and self advocacy project run by PhotoVoice with vulnerable women and homeless and/or street based sex workers in the East End of London. I co-designed and managed the project with the photographer, Ania Dabrowska.
Operating out of a woman's centre run by U-Turn, it aimed to provide a creative means of support to the lives of the women that used the centre providing them with a space for creative expression and relief while also using their images and words to raise awareness of the issues they face with policy makers, service providers and public audiences. The majority of the women using U-Turn's services have suffered varying degrees of social deprivation, abuse and violence and are dealing with mental health and substance misuse issues. A psychotherapist provided additional support to both the women and project facilitators.
Out of the workshops a postcard advocacy and awareness campaign was developed in which a small selection of the women's images and words were produced as a set of postcards that were sent over, one a week over 5 weeks, to a targeted group of policy makers and service providers.
Alongside the workshops, research assessed the impact and potential of photography as a therapeutic tool and the learning gained was distributed with information and resources to practitioners and organisations working with vulnerable groups.
