PROBLEM
The Maine nonprofits Seeing for Ourselves and Generational Noor have observed that public perceptions of Maine’s immigrant communities are outdated and unduly negative, which Generational Noor feels has impacted the health and wellness of the individuals in these communities. We two nonprofits decided to partner to address this situation, leveraging our practice of participatory photography and the latter’s long service on behalf of these communities.
APPROACH
This project aims to rewrite outdated perceptions and reveal the stories of resilience, creativity, and hard work that define the immigrant experience in Maine. Members of the immigrant communities are the participants, while the primary audience is the state’s general public.
By changing the public narrative about Maine’s immigrant communities, this project will promote the health and wellness of these individuals, who will no longer be burdened by negative stereotypes that hold them back. By training participants to take on the task themselves through their new imagery and by having them assist in its promotion, the project will provide an invaluable learning experience in effecting social change and bettering one’s circumstances.
Finally, by in this way promoting the health and wellness of Maine’s immigrant communities, which constitute a vibrant and unique population, this project will promote overall health and wellness in the state generally.
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Emma Cipriani of Generational Noor,
interviewing Obed Antonio at a gallery exhibit,
briefly explains the Not From These Parts initiative