The Wyoming SAGE system of care presented the VOICE photo project to Spectrum Nov. 11. The Photovoice Project has hopes to target the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning people of our community. SAGE represents the movement to form better mental health care in Wyoming.

VOICE, which stands for Voicing Our Individual and Collective Experiences, has been a part of Wyoming for two years, been present in five counties and recorded the experiences of 99 people. The project invites families and individuals to share their experiences through photographs and personal narratives. It is an ongoing initiative throughout Wyoming to promote advocacy, education and community-based research.

At the University of Wyoming, the Photovoice Project works with GLBTQ students and staff in developing stories that show the events in the life of those people. The Laramie community has been targeted as lacking in exposure to the GLBTQ community and what they encounter.

“We really see the state of Wyoming lacking in the exposure to the GLBTQ community, especially in our Photovoice Project,” Wyoming Photovoice Project Chair Kent Becker said. “We really want to show what these people have encountered through their lives and share that with the community to create more awareness.”

The Photovoice Project works with their participants to develop a plan of action after their stories have been compiled and finalized. Usually, the participants identify a group of people they would like to share their stories with and invite them to attend a reception. Participants generally target a group of people they feel are unaware of the issues the project is bringing forth, and often invite top Wyoming government officials to attend.

“Our hope is to get a handful of students and staff to come together and share their stories here at the university,” Serena Lambert, assistant professor in counselor education, said. “We hope that these participants can work as a group to get their voice heard in the community.”

The project, when displayed, consists of posters filled with two or three photographs and a short narrative next to each. The project travels around the state to be displayed in prominent places. Generally, most participants choose to withhold their name and identity from the display, substituting false names in place of the real names used. The story is completely told under the participant’s control and all expenses are covered.

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