PhotoVoice works to build a world in which everybody has the opportunity to represent themselves and tell their own story.
We work in the UK and internationally with individuals, local communities, and partner organisations.
We design and deliver tailor-made participatory photography, digital storytelling and self-advocacy projects for socially excluded groups.
Photography crosses cultural and linguistic barriers, and is suitable for all abilities.
It’s both a form of creative expression and a way to record facts. It can describe realities, communicate perspectives, and raise awareness of social and global issues.
Our pioneering and award winning approach brings together arts, media, development, campaigning, and social change to deliver projects that enable voice, build skills, deliver advocacy and work towards sustainable change.
PhotoVoice’s Vision and Mission
PhotoVoice’s vision is for a world in which everybody has the opportunity to represent themselves and tell their own story.
Our mission is promote the ethical use of photography for positive social change, through delivering innovative participatory photography projects. By working in partnership with organisations, communities, and individuals worldwide, we will build the skills and capacity of underrepresented or at-risk communities, creating new tools of self-advocacy and communication.
Why photography?
A photograph is the quickest and easiest way for somebody to document the realities of their circumstances. Most people are familiar with photography to some degree, and it can be picked up relatively quickly by all abilities and ages.
Photography also crosses cultural and linguistic barriers, with its power lying in its dual role as both a form of creative expression and a way to document facts.
It provides an accessible way to describe realities, communicate perspectives, and raise awareness of social and global issues to different audiences.
Its relatively low cost and ease of dissemination encourages sharing, facilitating dialogue and discussion, even for those who have never picked up a camera before.
How do we work?
Working in partnership with charities, academics, non-profit organisations, NGOs and community organisations, PhotoVoice designs and delivers tailor-made participatory photography, digital storytelling and self-advocacy projects for underrepresented or issue affected individuals and communities.
Our pioneering and award-winning approach brings together creative expression, media, development, campaigning, and social change to deliver projects that encourage voice, build skills, deliver advocacy and work towards sustainable change.
We ensure that we:
- Design and develop projects specific to communities, issues and needs, and based on engagement with them
- Promote the imagery produced from the projects utilising media, events and exhibitions
- Create new resources based on the insights provided by individuals and communities, and based on ongoing dialogue with them
- Provide consultancy, training, materials and resources to organisations wishing to use ethical and/or participatory photography in their work
We undertake our activities in line with our Statement of Ethical Practice.
Where do we work?
PhotoVoice works in the UK and internationally with individuals, local communities, and partner organisations.
Please visit our Projects Page for more information about where we have worked.
PhotoVoice’s Community Interest Statement
PhotoVoice’s activities will provide benefit to individuals and communities in the UK and worldwide by promoting, supporting, and educating on the ethical use of photography and photographic practices as a tool of social change, and supporting ways for people to share and communicate their perspectives.
We will:
- Design and deliver photography programmes and projects with different communities in the UK and internationally, with an emphasis on underrepresented communities, supporting them to articulate their experiences to a range of audiences. As a result, communities will be better able to share their perspectives through photography and photographic practices to relevant audiences, and seek opportunities to have their circumstances better understood or addressed.
- Provide training, education and engagement on the ethical use of photography and photographic practices. Photographers and those engaging with photographic practices will be better informed about a range of ways in which photography can be used and shared, and better equipped to understand the ethical considerations involved.
- Work in partnership with other organisations to inform their activities when using photography or photographic practices, providing training, consultancy, or project delivery. Organisations will be better able to utilise photography and photographic practices in their activities, with greater understanding and recognition of the requirements to ensure ethical considerations are fully considered.
- Provide advice, support and training to organisations and individuals on good community engagement. Organisations and individuals will be better able to deliver community engagement programmes
Any surplus made by PhotoVoice will be used for developing new approaches to community engagement through photography, designing new programmes and projects, and developing new resources and materials to further its knowledge, skills and activities.
We can work in partnership to design and deliver participatory workshops anywhere in the world.
We have worked on a diverse range of projects and issues both in the UK and internationally.
