Outdoor Gallery To Showcase Dedham Teen Perspective On Drugs

DEDHAM, MA — A new kind of gallery is coming to Dedham's Farmer's Market on Oct. 21 and it will showcase local high school students’ perspectives and experiences related to alcohol and other drug use in town.

Needham Public Health partnered with the Dedham Organization for Substance Awareness will host the outdoor photo gallery. The gallery will be at the Dedham Farmer's Market from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 21.

The display is part of a “Hear Their Voices: Photovoice, a Collaborative Youth Project.” Photovoice is a research project focused on a community issue related to public health, wellness or social justice.

Photovoice was developed in 1992 by Caroline C. Wang, University of Michigan and Mary Ann Burris, Program Officer for Women's Health at the Ford Foundation headquartered in Beijing, China. The idea was built on the foundation that images and words together can effectively express communities and individuals’ needs, problems, and desires.

Participants use video and/or photo images to capture aspects of the environment and experiences related to the chosen community issue. Weekly group meetings include photo reviews and discussion with the goal of creating a community art display which will raise awareness and educate community members.

This year, high school students from Dedham, Needham, and Norwood took over 250 photos illustrating their perspectives of and experiences related to alcohol and other drug use in their towns. In Dedham, 25 students participated, capturing 100 images that allowed them to think critically about their surroundings as they documented through photos the effects community substance use has on them and their peers.