Activity Record

*updates pending*

2017 Fiscal Year

● April 30, 2018: PhotoVoice activities featured in article in Kahoku Shimpō. Link to article here. Also downloadable as PDF: Article 1Article 2

● April 19, 2018: “Social Work Research in Post-Disaster Context: Participatory Inquiry through PhotoVoice” presented by representative Yoshihama in the “Methdological Challenges: Action Research” section of the European Social Work Research Association Annual Convention at The University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland).

● February 11, 2018: Regional Exchange Forum
Members from each project site met to discuss matters of disaster responses and reconstruction for their region and how best to prioritize the needs of its people. Location: L-Park Sendai in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.

● February 11-12, 2018: Exhibition held at a studio in L-Park Sendai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.
PhotoVoice Book No. 2, as well as photos and voices sorted by topic and theme displayed to show a multifaceted view of post-disaster recovery 7 years after the calamity struck. The walls were packed with photos and voices detailing not only the emotional and mental effects of the disasters on PhotoVoice members, but also matters of government energy policy, radiation decontamination, the role of gender in disaster policy and recovery, etc.

● February 25, 2018: PhotoVoice artwork displayed at Empowerment 11wate (Iwate) Workshop
Exhibition held as part of “Great East Japan Disaster, Experiences of Gender and Diversity — Learning from Miyagi Prefecture” (東日本大震災での女性や多様な人々の記録~宮城での実践に学ぶ~) workshop. Location: Iwate Prefecture Public Hall.

● February 20, 2018: PhotoVoice Book No. 2 published
PhotoVoice Book No. 2 “Visions for more effective disaster prevention and reconstruction: PhotoVoice from women affected by the Great East Japan Disaster.” (被災した女性たちが提示する 防災・復興の課題― 東日本大震災のフォトボイス) published. For details, click here.

●February 2018: Miyako member, Ryoko-san’s photo and voice, “Landscape Visible from the Glass Window of the Embankment” featured on the front page of Asia Japan Women’s Resource Center (AJWRC) magazine, Women of the 21st Century (女たちの21世紀, English version).
(This photo was also used on the front cover of the March 2017 edition of Women of the 21st Century (no. 89), featuring the effect of the disasters on women: http://jp.ajwrc.org/1954 )

● November 23, 2017: “Talk Event — Calling all Photographers! Let’s talk about the disasters” (トークイベント~撮影者を囲んで~(災害を考える会). Location: Kiyose City Center for Gender Equality, AIREC.

Four members (one each from Miyako, Sendai, Koriyama, and one refugee living in the Tokyo suburbs) met to share the photos and voices (messages) they made to reflect their experience with the disasters, as well as what all they are doing to support recovery in their respective regions. Later, they engaged event participants in a lively discussion on the state of disaster policy and recovery.

Exhibition and talk event sponsor: Tri-City Coalition (Kiyose, Higashi-Kurume, Nishi-Tokyo) Gender Equality Collaboration Project (Seibu Ikebukuro Line)

● November 18-26, 2017: PhotoVoice exhibition — “Photos and Voices, Disaster and Recovery Six Years Later” (PhotoVoice写真と声―まだ6年のいまと防災・復興の課題). Location: Kiyose City Center for Gender Equality, AIREC. The first exhibition held in western Tokyo.

● November 10-20, 2017: PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan) held in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. Location: Nagaoka City Civic Center Gallary. “Disaster Recovery for Women” (女たちの震災復興) of affected areas of Niigata Prefecture. On November 20, lecture and discussion on “Safe Alternatives to Nuclear Energy from the Perspective of Gender Equality” (原子力安全対策に男女共同参画の視点を) held Machinaka Campus Nagaoka, room 501.

September 15, 2017:  PhotoVoice activities introduced in『THE BIG ISSUE』(JAPAN BIG ISSUE, Japanese Edition) No. 319、”Let’s Talk About the Reality of Disaster and Reconstruction. Literature on the Hiroshima Nuclear Bomb and the Current Situation in Fukushima ” (被災や復興の現実を自由に語りたい。広島の原爆文学と福島の今).

● August 26-27, 2017: PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan) held at “Gender Equality Festival, Civic Plaza” in Tahara City, Aichi Prefecture.

● August 25-27, 2017: PhotoVoice exhibition and Workshop (“The Great East Japan Disaster — Policy and Recovery from Women’s PhotoVoice”) held at the “Forum for Gender Equality, 2017” (平成29年度男女共同参画推進フォーラム) at the National Women’s Education Center (NWEC).


2016 Fiscal Year

● March 25, 2017: PhotoVoice featured in I(ai) Josei Kaigi  (I(あい)女性会議) “Women’s Newspaper”  (女の新聞) .

● March 2017: Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center bulletin, “Women of the 21st Century” (女たちの21世紀) March Edition, No.89.
Photos from Miyako PhotoVoice members featured on the front cover, detailing the disasters’ effects on women.

● March 4-5, 2017: PhotoVoice exhibition held at Koriyama Gender Equality Festival at Koriyama Center for Promoting Gender Equality (Sankaku Plaza).

● February 26 – March 3, 2017: Exhibitions and events held at Toshima City Hall event space (Center Square).
―February 26: Exhibition details and interviews with PhotoVoice members and representatives featured on Toshima TV.
–February 26: “The Disasters from the Photographer’s Lens” event
— March 1: “What is PhotoVoice? Workshop and Talk” event

● January 21, 2017: PhotoVoice exhibition held at Kumamoto Center for Gender Equality “Harmony”, as part of the Reconstruction Agency symposium, “Recovery after the Kumamoto Earthquake — Focus on Community Revival”.

● January 11-31, 2017: PhotoVoice exhibition focused on Onagawa PhotoVoice members, “Intensive Care Nursing Home, Onagawa Gallary”, the first exhibition in the area.
Details here.

● October 23, 2016: PhotoVoice exhibition held with “Festival for Connecting Evacuees with Supporters 2016” in Hikarigaoka Park. Sponsor: Koihikihinan Tokyo.

● August 26, 2016: PhotoVoice exhibition and Workshop, “NWEC Volunteers Share — Remembering The Great East Japan Disaster through PhotoVoice” held at the National Women Education Center (NWEC) Forum for Gender Equality 2016.

● July 2016: Lecture held at the University of Rome, Italy.
Narrative Inquiry through Dialectic Group Processers:Application to Social

● July 6, 2016: Academic conference held in Vienna, Austria.
Environmental Issues:Images of the Invisible and Visions for the Future

2015 Fiscal Year

● March 2016: Presentation with The University of Michigan CJS Radio Podcast.

● March 14-31, 2016: PhotoVoice exhibition and meeting held at Ota, Tokyo Center for Gender Equality “Escenaota”.
At the meeting, PhotoVoice members who had evacuated to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area as well as members from Miyagi (Ishinomaki and Onagawa) and Fukushima Prefectures led a presenation and discussion with attendees.
Details here.

 March 5, 2016: PhotoVoice exhibition and talk held in conjunction with Tokyo Bar Association, the Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association, and the Dai-Ni Tokyo Bar Association, “Five Years since the Great East Japan Disaster — Meeting and Connecting with Evacuees”.
Details here.

● February 11, 2016: PhotoVoice lecture given through The University of Michigan Japanese translation course.

● February 2016: PhotoVoice Project introduced in Paris, France.

● February 13, 2016: PhotoVoice Project introducted at Tokyo Volunteer Activity Center (TVAC), through Tokyo 2016 Volunteer Forum for a Civil Society — “Making Peace for the Future” subcommittee, “Five Years After the Great East Japan Disaster”.
Details here.

● January 2016: Academic conference held in Washington DC.
SSWR presentation;PhotoVoice of Women Who Have Experienced the 2011 Great East Japan Disasters:Collective, Participatory Community Assessments and Action

● October 24, 2015: PhotoVoice exhibition held at “Festival for Connecting Evacuees with Supporters” in Kiba Park, Tokyo. Sponsor: Koihikihinan Tokyo

● October 20-23, 2015: PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan) held at Nigata University of International and Information Studies, Center Campus 1st floor lounge.
Details here.

● October 21, 2015: Photovoice lecture and presentation given for mental health specialists in Florance, capital of Italy’s Tuscany region.

● October 20, 2015: PhotoVoice lecture and presentation given in community psychology course at the University of Florence, Italy.

● October 9-18, 2015: First PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan) and meeting held in Nigata Prefecture’s Hokuriku region, at the Former Ozawa Family Residence of Nigata City, Nigata Prefecture.
Details here.

● August 2015: Representative Mieko Yoshihama delivers symposium on activities for The PhotoVoice Project, “Community Empowerment after the Great East Japan Disaster”. A summary of the symposium can be found in Japanese Journal of Community Psychology, 19(1) (2015).

● June 20 – July 4, 2015: PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan) held at Higashi Osaka City Gender Equality Center IKORAMU for Gender Equality Week 2015, “A Society where Personality Shines — A Future where Dreams Thrive!” gallery event.
Details here.
Record here.

2014 Fiscal Year

● March 16, 2015: PhotoVoice Book No. 1 “Our PhotoVoice of 3.11:Then, Now, and Moving Forward” published.

● March 14-16, 2015: Various events held in conjunction with the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture

-March 16: Collaboration with National Women’s Education Center (NWEC) on workshop at the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction,
“PhotoVoice & Archives: Creating Collective Knowledge for Effective Disaster Prevention, Response and Reconstruction”

–March 16: “Discussing the Disasters with PhotoVoice Photographers”

–March 15: “Facilitator Training Workshop – Intermediate”

–March 14: Musical performance, “Mice”
Sponsor: PONPO Civic Theater, Fukushima Storyteller Project
Cosponsor: The PhotoVoice Project

● March 14, 2015: Project website launched.

● March 10, 2015: PhotoVoice listed in the National Women’s Education Center (NWEC) Archive for Post Earthquake Disaster Women Support.

● March 3-31, 2015: Various PhotoVoice events held in conjunction with the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture

● March 1-15, 2015: PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan), “Experiences of the Disasters through Photos and Voices” held at Koshigaya Gender Equality Center “Hot Koshigaya” in Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture.

● February 12 – March 27, 2015: PhotoVoice exhibition held at The University of Michigan School of Social Work, first floor corridor. On February 11, The University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies featured PhotoVoice as part of their Noon Lecture series, followed by an opening reception.
Details here (University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies website).

● December 13, 2014: at the Raicho Hiratsuka Award 10th Annual Ceremony, co-director Tomoko Yunomae accepted an award as the first recepiant from the Women’s Network for East Japan Disaster (Rise Together).

● November 30 – December 7, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan) and meeting held at Amagasaki Women’s Center Trepied as part of the 20 Year Project, “The Power of Women in Disaster Prevention, Risk Reduction, and Reconstruction” Amagasaki Regional Forum.
November 30: PhotoVoice exhibition, “The Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster from Women Photographers”
Information here. Report here.

● November 4-29, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition and meeting held as part of “Women and the Disasters, Sendai Forum” (November 22-24) held at pre-event to the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture in March of 2015.
November 22: “Photographer Meet-up”
Details here.

● November 22-23: PhotoVoice Facilitator Training Workshop (Basic and Intermediate) held in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.

● October 4-17, 2014: First PhotoVoice exhibition (artwork loan) of Kyushu Prefecture held in Kurume City Oxfam Japan Shop.
Details here.

 July 20, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition held at World Sociology Conference (July 13-19) academic forum side event, “Science of Disaster Risk Reduction from a Gendered Perspective”.
Details here.

● June 17, 2014: Became Non-Profit Organization

● June 6-8, 2014: PhotoVoice Project pre-workshop and conference announcement held at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto with The Japanese Association of Community Psychology.

● May 16-18, 2014: “20 Sets of PhotoVoice” exhibition (artwork loan) held at launch site Oxfam Trailwalker Japan 2014 (cosponsored by Oxffam Japan).
Details here.

2013 Fiscal Year

● March 19-30, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition held at Space Nana in Azamino, Yokohama.
Details here.

● March 4-16, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition held at MC Forest in Tokyo Maru, cosponsored by Oxfam Japan.
Details here.
Record posted on Facebook.

● March 14-15, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition, “PhotoVoice Around the World – Demonstration” held at Tokyo Ochanomizu YMCA.

● March 12, 2014: Community forum and exhibition held at MC Forest.

● March 4, 2014: PhotoVoice Project Facebook page launched.

● January 20-30, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition held at Cafe första in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.
Details here.

● January 1-19, 2014: PhotoVoice exhibition and meeting, “PhotoVoice from Women of Fukushima, Ishinomaki, Miyako, and Sendai — Photograph, Discuss, and Share their Experiences with the Great East Japan Disaster” at L-Park Sendai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.
Details here.

● June 24-30, 2013: PhotoVoice exhibition and community forum held at Minato Tokyo Gender Equality Center “Libra”.
Record here.

● March – May 2013: PhotoVoice exhibitions and community forums held at Paris Diderot University (France) and The University of Michigan (US).
Record here.

2012 Fiscal Year

● March 11-16, 2013: PhotoVoice Week in Tokyo, PhotoVoice exhibition & community forum, “PhotoVoice: Photograph, Discuss, Share… Act. Women’s Perspective of The Great East Japan Disaster”.
Record here.

● February 17, 2013: PhotoVoice blog, “PhotoVoice: Photograph, Meet, Share… Act” launched.

● January 15-16, 2013: PhotoVoice exhibition and community forum, “The Great East Japan Disaster — PhotoVoice from Women’s Perspective” held at Ochanomizu University.
Record here.

● November 2012: First PhotoVoice exhibition and community forumm, “The Great East Japan Disaster — PhotoVoice from Women’s Perspective” held in Nihonmatsu and Koriyama Cities, Fukushima Prefecture.
Record here.

● October 2012: New group and PhotoVoice meetings established in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.

● October 2012: Second PhotoVoice group established in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.

2011 Fiscal Year

● November 2011: First PhotoVoice meeting of Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (preparations began in June of 2011).

● June 2011: First PhotoVoice meeting of Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.

● June 2011: First PhotoVoice meeting of Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture.