Living healthy, well and strong in our neighbourhoods A Photovoice project

How can we find out about living healthy, well, and strong in our neighbourhoods? Partnership Development This was the queson posed by partners who came together to do research on being well in Building on relaonships with community members from previous neighbourhoods in Guelph. projects and iniaves, partners from the City of Guelph, Family & Children’s Services of Guelph & Wellington, Neighbourhood Groups, The project was framed in several ways. First, we defined being well quite broadly, to include many kinds of Guelph-Wellington Task Force for Poverty Eliminaon and the well-being and health—physical, social, economic and spiritual. Research Shop at the University of Guelph worked collaboravely on this project. The Research Shop provided technical experse and Second, we used an ecological approach that includes a range of sites and circumstances where health and facilitated training of community researchers. Mavis Morton, the well-being play out: in our families, neighbourhoods, and workplaces, or in our personal and community Principal Invesgator, is a faculty member in the department of relaonships. Sociology/Anthropology at the University of Guelph.

Finally, we also thought about the social determinants of health and how they determine or contribute to aspects of our well-being: …the condions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, Neighbourhood groups of the Brant, Grange Hill, including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the Onward Willow, Parkwood distribuon of money, power and resources at global, naonal and Gardens, Two-Rivers, and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. Waverley communies. hp://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/

Process Themes and recommendaons for change Between March and October 2011, twenty community members, U Analysis and reflecon led to idenfying, exploring, formulang and interpreng themes that included barriers of G students, faculty and staff were trained over two days on (lack of access to income, housing, food, health care, recreaonal facilies etc.) and supports (neighbourhood Photovoice methodology. Using a social determinant of health groups & community partners, access to nature, sustainable pracces etc.) Idenfied themes led to ideas and framework, we were asked to consider quesons such as: recommendaons for acon and change. • what does living well mean to you? • what puts your health at risk? • what needs to change to promote health and wellness in The Experience of Living in Poverty The experience of living in poverty is a constant bale with barriers and your neighbourhood? brick walls. Insufficient income prevents people from accessing safe Following the training, researchers were divided into three Themes included: housing, healthy food, affordable transportaon, and recreaon geographic groups and for four months we took photographs opportunies. capturing images that illustrated opportunies or barriers. Bi-weekly groups met to discuss and share the photographs they took and to Accessibility Supports for Living Healthy, Well, and Strong promote crical dialogue about community strengths and concerns. While community planners are beer at taking geographical Local neighbourhood organizaons can be the primary sources of support locaon and physical accessibility into account, we need to become for families and people living in poverty. Community members can gather beer at understanding and addressing psycho-social barriers. in a posive space to discuss issues that affect the neighbourhood. Community groups are plaorms for people who tradionally lack power, to come together with a collecve voice and advocate for jusce and Unique aspects of our communies change. Different communies within the city have a flavour that is unique to that area of the city and the members of that community take pride in their favourite qualies. Barriers to Living Healthy, Well, and Strong Lack of adequate income is the first barrier to living healthy, well, and strong, with associated challenges such as access to public transportaon, Transion and change substandard housing, inadequate emergency food support, and lack of This past year the evidence of growth and change has permeated facilies for affordable recreaon and exercise every corner of the city…it is not surprising that the Ward, surrounding the downtown core, needs to adapt to accommodate the city’s growing populaon.

Recommendaons Increase social assistance and the minimum wage, and support advocacy programs. Improve public transportaon. Increase access to healthy and affordable food. Support accessible health care. Annual free city-wide large item garbage collecon. Equitable distribuon of city resources for recreaon. Reduce the red tape… Research results-based methods of increasing inclusion. Protect our green spaces. Acknowledge and address the transportaon Disseminaon problem in the city. Support and empower neighbourhood groups. Community researchers become advocates for themselves and their neighbourhoods, researchers wanted their photos, themes and recommendaons View full recommendaons and images at photovoice.drupalgardens.com publicly available. Large posters displaying representave photos, text and recommendaons were printed and put on display in a downtown indoor mall, in city hall, in a community organizaon, and in a parcipang neighbourhood. Our research project caught the aenon of the public and decisions makers. When asked by the Guelph Tribune about her biggest surprise for 2011, Mayor Karen Farbridge named the Photovoice project: "I was blown away by the size of it, the depth it achieved, the power of Researchers for the Living Healthy, Well and Strong in Our Neighbourhood project: the photos that were taken and the Carlene Gunn-Carr Lynne Kloostra Revee Orr Deliliah Keang Martha Inglis Sally Belogus interpretaons . . . and the learnings Evelyn Herron Ma Reeves Sarah Wilbee they reveal.” Gayle Goldstone Mavis Morton Sonia Waraich hp://www.guelphtribune.ca/community/mayor- Janet Dilbey Michelle Lebon Stephanie Baker charts-guelphs-future-path/ Jenny Walker Michelle Pilgrim Susan Richardson Kathleen Bowron Montanna Goldstone Tina Brophey Linda Hawkins Niki Henry *Mavis Morton* and Linda Hawkins** *Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology; **Director, ICES/Research Shop; University of Guelph