Permanent link for Check In: Interfaith Photovoice On Campus on February 27, 2024

The semester is flying by, and amazingly enough, we are already halfway through our Interfaith Photovoice cohort! Despite the busyness of the season, our Kaufman Campus Intern team was able to take a moment to reflect on their experiences so far.

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Franklin: Having just finished my second meeting (third for the other members - I missed the first), I’m finding myself changing my mindset surrounding the event. College has been able to break me out of a black-and-white approach to parts of my life, and Photovoice is a continuation of this trend. I’m seeing how much more dynamic both my self and the people around me are through this experience - it is very refreshing. I am looking forward to future meetings and what they reveal to me.

Molly: Photovoice has been a really amazing experience for me. I’ve gotten to hear from so many different perspectives on campus. The biggest thing Photovoice has taught me is that everyone has their own story. I am so excited to see how the exhibit turns out and for more people to hear everyone’s stories.

Cecelia: More and more I am realizing the value of programs like Photovoice, specifically the creation of an intentional space where people, young people like college students can feel safe and be brave to share their experiences and stories of their lives while perusing higher ed. In our last meeting, I was touched and heartbroken by the shared experiences of feeling disconnected. It made me thankful to have things like Photovoice in place, that give us avenues to connect through photos.

Liz: I am thrilled with how this cohort is coming together. These fantastic students continue to enter into this space with their eyes and ears wide open, delving deeply into what can be vulnerable conversations and learning how to ask good questions of each other. Already natural themes are beginning to emerge from the discussions - as are key distinctions in both the approach to the weekly prompts and the experiences of the group. I am so grateful to be in the room and to be learning from, with, and about these wonderful humans!

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This cohort will culminate in April with a pop-up exhibition of photos curated by the group. This exhibition will travel to a few locations before finding its home in the Kaufman programming space on the GVSU Health Campus. We hope you will join us for any and all of these events! We encourage members of both our GV community and the greater West Michigan area to come and hear their stories and see through their eyes. 

To begin, the photos will be on display all day April 11th in the lobby of the Kirkhof Center on the Allendale Campus. The following evening, they will be highlighted at the President's Reach Higher Showcase on April 12th from 4pm-7pm  which will be on the Downtown Pew Campus. The Showcase is free and open to the public with dinner and drinks provided.  Registration is required for the April 12th event . It will also be a fantastic opportunity to learn about other innovative and cutting-edge work taking place at GVSU. 

Posted by Elizabeth English on Permanent link for Check In: Interfaith Photovoice On Campus on February 27, 2024.