Photovoice Benton Harbor 2011

Greetings fellow Capacity Building Grantee bloggers! For Berrien County’s debut on the blogosphere, I wanted to share a bit about our Photovoice project that we conducted in Benton Harbor in 2011. For our project, we had a good group of very passionate and dedicated individuals who deeply care for their community. Armed with their new digital cameras that we provided, our participants bravely ventured into their community searching for what health “looked like” to them in their neighborhoods. We asked the participants to try to see their community from a “social determinants of health” perspective – to see how their environments, their streets, houses, schools, parks, churches, and workplaces could all affect their health. The results that we got back were breathtaking.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Benton Harbor, it is not a town that gets the credit it deserves. Most “outsiders” see Benton Harbor as a depressed place, full of abandoned buildings, unemployment, apathy, and poverty. Truth be told, Benton Harbor has its fair share of blight; but beneath the obvious degradation on the surface, there lies resilience, passion, faith, and power that most people don’t see at first glance. Through our Photovoice participants, we saw the beauty beneath the blight, and the hope for a healthy future in this community. We were encouraged and empowered by the photos, eager and inspired to demand health equity and social justice.

Our photographers described their experience like they were “seeing their community for the first time”. Looking at their familiar surroundings through this new lens helped them see the blatant inequities and injustices that exist here. Through our discussions about the photos and their themes and our Community Health Revival (more on this later), we had a wonderful experience with Photovoice in Benton Harbor. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to pilot this project with such an exceptional group of people and to have learned all we did. We have even been approached about having the photos in a “traveling” show across the city so that more people may see them! I can’t wait to see who else will be inspired to action by our Photovoice Benton Harbor project!

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Washtenaw County Community Health Advocate Program

Our Community Health Advocate (CHA) program is up and running in Ypsilanti! In September, we partnered with numerous community agencies to provide training to 12 CHA’s. The CHA’s are community members who come from a variety of backgrounds, including a city councilman, several employees from local social service providers, a former non-profit administrator, a college student, a community activist and a mother of school-age children. The trainings covered healthy food access, health literacy, and government-sponsored insurance.

One of our CHA’s agreed to be interviewed for this blog. Cynthia Freter is a long-time Washtenaw County resident. Mrs. Freter is a 51 year-old community activist who has children who are currently in high school. Her background includes working at St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital as a nurse assistant. She also was the director of Second Baptist’s church day care center.


1. How did you find out about the CHA project?



“From Anne Brown, (the Ypsilanti liaison for State Rep. David Rutledge). She thought that it would be a good way for me to get involved in a community project. I also saw the CHA flyer at Hope Clinic.”

2. It’s obvious that you’re interested in working with the community; how did you get involved in community-based work?



“I was always taught to give back to the community. I started advocating when my children attended Head Start in Washtenaw County. This also helped me learn more about what was going on in the community.”

3. How have your personal experiences helped prepare you for this work?



“My Interest and love of people and their well being (Mental Health and Physical Health). I just really love to help!”

4. Were you familiar with the term “Social Determinants” prior to becoming involved in this project?



“Yes, I have heard the word before. I am more familiar with the social determinants after being part of the Health Equity/Social Justice workshops earlier this month”

5. What are you most excited about re: your participation in this project?



“Getting started and helping the people in the community. I think that this program can we can really make a difference in the lives of people who live on the south side.” (Gateway Community)

I was very pleased that Mrs. Freter volunteered to take part in the CHA program. She brings passion, dedication and concern for the community to this project. It is our aim to provide updates about this project that include the challenges/successes that our CHAs experience as they work with Gateway residents.

The CHAs will have regular hours at a Ypsilanti community center on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12 pm – 4 pm.


For more information about our CHA program please contact Charles Wilson at (734)544-2981 or by email at wilsonc@ewashtenaw.org

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Thank you for the welcome

Thank you forthe welcome!

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Welcome!

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Welcome

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