Blog

March 8, 2011

This morning I woke up to a World Vision update highlighting a group of teens in Romania who used photography to address human trafficking in their country. Sounds vaguely familiar! World Vision partnered with UK PhotoVoice, a wonderful pioneering group in the art of advocacy photography, for a 10 day workshop with the Romanian teens.

I love the WV definition of advocacy:

“Simply put, advocacy is a ministry of influence using persuasion, dialogue,
and reason to affect change. Advocacy seeks to address the structural and
systemic causes of poverty by changing policies, practices, and attitudes
that perpetuate inequality and deny justice.” (A Citizen’s Guide to Advocacy, 2011).

This spring, A Face to Reframe will be partnering with Denver based Prax(us) to offer a photography project to youth living on the street in human trafficking situations. We hope to empower the teens to become advocates of their own social change. By giving them a visual voice and inviting decision makers and law enforcement, media and community members to experience their world, we hope to change stereotypes that continue to disempower these vulnerable youth. (If you would like to contribute toward this project, please visit our donate page!)

I used to be discouraged whenever I discovered one of my “brilliant ideas” had been done and wasn’t so original after all. I am beginning to take refuge in the precedent of larger, better funded, and established organizations such as World Vision verifying the effectiveness of participant photography for social change.

I take heart in Proverbs 31:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” The vision of A Face to Reframe is to help them speak for themselves. We would all benefit from hearing their voice.