Dr. Bart W. Miles and Dr. Debra Jozefowicz-Simbeni explored the life experiences of homeless and runaway young women ages 16-24 through the use of photographic images, and participant's interpretations of these images. This research was conducted in partnership with Alternatives for Girls of Detroit, Michigan and the Women's Foundation. In this study homeless and runaway youth identified the everyday elements of their lives. This study enabled the participants to identify, record, and reflect on their strengths and needs. The project was intended to create a consciousness raising dialogue about the issues homeless youth face. Further this study allowed the youth's voices to be heard by service providers and policy makers by looking at homeless youth through the photovoice methods, which entrusted cameras to these young women enabling them to act as photographic recorders of  their daily lives, and to serve as potential catalysts for social action and change, in their own  communities. The pictures were then developed, meaningful images were selected, and the young women wrote narratives about the photos. Family, support by agency staff and self-empowerment were strong themes identified through the project. These photos and narratives were then shown in a public forum, enhancing the discourse about the experience of these homeless youth.
For more on this and other research from the School of Social Work faculty, visit our faculty research page.