Youth prevention group initiates talks about addiction through photography

Youths in several Massachusetts high schools engage in camera work to capture their views on addiction and initiate conversations in the community. The Taunton Daily Gazette reported that the Brockton Area Opioid Overdose Prevention Collaborative's PhotoVoice project puts cameras in the hands of young people to record their thoughts on addiction.

In one recent example, a Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School student snapped a photo of a dented can of chewing tobacco with the conflicting messages “Satisfaction since 1822” and “WARNING: Smokeless tobacco is addictive.” The student added the message: “Heroin and cocaine do not come with a warning on them. You don't know if you are going to be addicted until you try it.”

PhotoVoice was initiated in 2013 and has been conducted at schools in communities such as Brockton, Easton and East Bridgewater. The posted photos of empty alcohol bottles, crumbling buildings and other byproducts of the substance use crisis are paired with a quote from the student photographer.

“The best part is that these pictures later turn into a conversation,” said Kelly Macomber, coalition coordinator for the Brockton prevention collaborative.