Exploring the Impact of Youth-Produced Images on Family, Community, and Policy

Abstract

There is increasing scholarly attention to the creative ways in which young people are engaging in policy dialogue. Yet what other ways may we study the impact of youth-produced images on audiences? Here, we explore the role that visual researchers occupy as audiences to youth-led participatory visual work addressing critical issues. Drawing on qualitative research approaches in autoethnography, we use a methodology of researcher reflexivity to invite visual researchers through semistructured interviews to position themselves with respect to youth-produced images of sexual violence, refugee experience, and colonial trauma. In shifting our attention from studying the privileged position of researchers with respect to facilitating participatory visual research, we learn about the researcher’s privileged perspective on how other audiences may view the work, such as policy makers and community and family members. This study highlights some ethical and methodological considerations of facilitating dialogue between youth and various stakeholders on the critical issues impacting the lives of young people.