Through The PhotoVoice Project, women affected by the Great East Japan Disaster take photographs that capture their emotions in coping with loss, deriving meaning from their experiences in a way that can be applied to community and societal problems at large. Through these photos and “voices”, our goal is to develop more effective disaster prevention, risk reduction, and reconstruction policies.

| PhotoVoice Meetings | PhotoVoice Exhibitions & Community Forums | Archive & PhotoVoice Book | Promoting the PhotoVoice Methodology | Surveys, Research, & Proposals | Activity Record |

 

●PhotoVoice Meetings
PhotoVoice meetings consist of small group discussions in which participants routinely bring in, share, and discuss photos they have taken. Through this process, these women are able to verbalize and draw meaning from their own experiences of pain and loss, as well as foster sympathy and mutual understanding with fellow members. In doing so, participants become better equipped with the tools they need for recovery. For details on the PhotoVoice methodology, see the “What is PhotoVoice” section of our website.

●PhotoVoice Exhibitions & Community Forums
Members use their discussions as a springboard to develop their own message (“voice”) to pair with their photos and share with the community. These photos and “voices” have proven to be an effective way to show what life is currently like for those affected by the 3.11 disasters, their experiences with pain and loss, and the challenges they face going forward.

At our community forums, PhotoVoice participants and members of the community are able to interact and discuss these photos and “voices”. It also provides an opportunity for PhotoVoice members from different regions to engage in dialogue with one another. This fosters even greater awareness and empathy for their pain and suffering, while also inspiring discussion on ways to develop more effective disaster prevention, risk reduction, responses and reconstruction going forward.

 

Moreover, we have launched a variety of projects designed to further disseminate our findings, including the launch of our artwork loan service, the publication of our PhotoVoice Book, the development of a PhotoVoice Archive, and participation in academic conferences. We have also established facilitator training seminars that teach participants how to lead PhotoVoice meetings, further expanding the PhotoVoice methodology to new spheres of use.