Every Tuesday after school, students at Malden High School gather for Photovoice, a club that teaches photography while tackling real issues in our community. The program started in the spring of 2022 and is run by Cambridge Health Alliance’s Youth Initiatives Department. They work with young people in understanding health and social issues that affect their lives and communities.
Photovoice focuses on helping students understand prevention work, especially around youth gambling. According to Ruthy Perez, one of the coordinators, teens see gambling online and around them constantly, even though they cannot do it legally. “The program teaches students how to understand healthy and unhealthy risks and how to make better choices,” Perez explained. Through Photography students learn to express themselves and highlight what matters to them in their community.
Past groups have focused on issues like fair funding for sports teams and food security at Malden High. Some students went as far as presenting their photos to the athletic director and the mayor, showing that their voice matters. Marie Yveline Antoine, the other coordinator, said that “watching students grow each year motivates her to keep running the program.” She appreciates working with Malden Students because of the school’s diversity and the energy students bring to the club.
Antoine hopes students leave photovoice feeling more “confident” and with “new photography skills.” She continued, “I want them to believe they can be change agents in their community.” Understanding health risk taking is an important part of preventing underage gambling, Antoine added.
Khkola Niazi, a sophomore at Malden High, has seen the impact firsthand. “I’ve learned a lot from Photovoice,” she said. “Working with groups helped me improve my photography skills, and I use what I learned in my daily life. It’s a really good after-school program that helps you protect your community from gambling.”
Photovoice is not just a photography club. It is a place where students learn to speak up, notice what is happening around them, and understand that their ideas can make a real difference in their community.
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