Empower through retreats.
A photovoice retreat empowers individuals to share their lived experiences through visual storytelling and dialogue. It condenses the photovoice process into a two-day format to foster deep conversation and a shared vision for change.
What We Do: Interfaith Photovoice Retreats
Our approach to retreats builds relationships across religious, cultural, and other divides through a series of small & large group dialogues using participants own photographs.
Many retreats don’t work because they feel artificial. A photovoice retreat takes the opposite approach by encouraging participants to share their whole selves, including their religious selves (or their silly selves, pictured left). Rather than retreating into their own spaces, we learn to hold space together.
The photos become shortcuts to empathy, trust, and understanding.
A Typical Agenda
Day 1: Exploring Experiences
This day uses shared photos to explore current realities and lived experiences related to the project's theme. Discussions move into personal stories, values, and practices, as well as the systemic factors—the bridges and barriers—that shape participants' experiences of belonging or some other aspect of daily life. The goal is a shared understanding of the existing landscape: surfacing needs, concerns, and insights that might otherwise go unseen.
Day 2: Envisioning and Curation
The second day shifts from current challenges to future aspirations. A final dialogue session focuses on collaboratively envisioning a more positive future or a culture of change. Participants then work together to curate their photos into a photography exhibit.
In this stage, participants champion one another’s photos and stories as they select the best photos to convey their shared narrative. By including pictures and stories from each participant, the process ensures they are included, seen, and empowered.
Customized Retreats
We also can design a retreat for your group that explores a specific topic, such as believing and belonging on campus, faith in the workplace, or faith and flourishing. Participants will discuss their photos and explore the ways these conversations build relationships across difference and offer insights into the lived experiences of people from different walks of life. Schedule a meeting to learn more about our custom retreats.