"Family Focus: Photography Service Design with Sojourner House MOMS"

• Main Author: Sykora, Scott
• Format: Others
• Published: Research Showcase @ CMU 2012
• Online Access: http://repository.cmu.edu/theses/30; http://repository.cmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=theses

Photography can play an incredibly important role in strengthening relationships. It can also help give individuals and communities voices to tell their stories both to the outside world and to themselves. In this project I explore how photography can play a meaningful role within a specific community and context. I also explore how Design as a discipline can help in creating sustainable activities within an organization. Sojourner House is an organization that works with formerly homeless female addicts and their children. Sojourner House’s MOMS Program (Motivation, Opportunities, Mentoring and Spirituality) provides long-term housing and services for these families. Over the course of nine months I worked with the MOMS organization to create a new photography-based service. The outcome is a compelling and fun set of photography activities. These activities are meant to strengthen relationships between the children, their families and the Sojourner House community. When working with people and organizations everything revolves around the trust and relationships that are formed. Developing relationships became the most important part of my design process as well as the goal of the final artifact we produced. This paper documents my work.