Shifting Focus: Snapshots of Resilience
Shifting Focus is a photovoice project within the Trauma at the Root: Exploring Paths to Healing with Formerly Incarcerated Men five-year project and took place between February and October 2020. The project was intended as an opportunity for participants, all formerly incarcerated men, to apply the knowledge they gained in a trauma and resilience awareness workshop they previously attended as part of our larger project. The participants met as a group once a week for four weeks to learn how to use digital cameras (provided by the project) and photography basics. Each session included lunch, a discussion of each participant’s work from the week prior, and a new photo assignment.
Participants contributed thoughtfully to this project to create collections that express their own resilience through trauma. By sharing their stories, they are challenging the stigma associated with incarceration and substance use. Their hard work demonstrates the importance of engaging men in strength-based activities that encourage peer connections and ultimately, foster further resilience.