Wayside Youth and Family Support Network is working with the Department of Mental Health (DMH) to develop a new group for transition-age individuals (Ages 16-25), either currently or previously involved with DMH, who have an interest in photography, and live in the MetroSuburban area.
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PhotoVoice was established in 1992 to help enable a previously unheard population to successfully influence the programs and policies that affected them. Wayside’s PhotoVoice group hopes to do just that. Young adults have had many challenges transitioning from Child and Adolescent DMH services to Adult DMH services. This group hopes to identify the strengths and needs of this population to help make a smoother transition to adulthood and Adult DMH services.
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Through PhotoVoice, young adults who previously did not have a voice in matters that affected them, will be able to identify topics that they believe are important, voice their thoughts, ideas, and concerns, and through their photographs be able advocate for change both in their community and also in the services and supports they receive.
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The next PhotoVoice group will be starting soon. Please leave a message if you are interested in attending or would like more information about the referral process. Even if you cannot physically attend the group meeting, you are welcome to participate online!
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* This is not a confidential site. If you decide to be a friend of PhotoVoice we cannot protect your confidentiality. If you would like to remain anonymous, you should create an account in which your name and photograph cannot be seen. Any messages or comments you leave for PhotoVoice can be viewed by anyone looking at the site and therefore, cannot contain any confidential material *
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OCD- I hate the stairs. I get tired thinking about climbing the stairs. My OCD makes me count at certain steps, and it takes me a long time to get upstairs or downstairs. Most of the time, I avoid going up or down, even if there is something that I want to get in my room. OCD gets in my way.
- K
HANDS- Sometimes I need help getting up the stairs because it takes me a long time to even get up, usually I’m thinking, maybe counting. My mom is helping me up the stairs. I don’t like this picture. I’m not going to bring it to school because people still say stuff about “your mom.â€
- K
MY GYM-I have an anger management problem. In this picture I displayed my heavy bag and speed bag. When I wake up every morning I take an hour on these bags to drive away everything in my life that is stressful. The bright redness of the speed bag helps me visualize all the people who make my life a living hell. When I hit the bag, every time it hits the top, it feels like I’ve let out a thousand things I could have said or done to people that I know I would regret. This helps me to manage my anger in a healthy way.
- Dave
I'M NOT ABLE TO WORK! This is a picture of my daughter. I’m twenty-one years old and I had my daughter when I was twenty. I’m not married, and I’m living with my mom and my daughter. My daughter’s father is very much involved and he works full time. I’m not able to work because I don’t have day care. I’m up against a wall because if I work, I’d be working to pay for day care. Day care is too expensive. I think DMH and other agencies should look into providing day care for young moms who want to do something with their lives, because you can’t take a child to work with you. It also would be helpful if there was a training program that could help young adults with learning disabilities and other mental challenges that would be flexible enough to work with me and to meet my needs.
- C
