Episode 4

From photovoice, to zine-making, to film: A conversation with Rene Adams, Erin MacDonald, Cherry Cruz, and Gabrielle Griffith

In this episode, host Gabrielle Griffith sits down with co-researchers from a CIHR-funded initiative that explored young adult mental wellness across diverse communities. Together, they reflect on their creative journey with doing photovoice, collaborative analysis, zine-making, and filmmaking online. The team created these visual products to represent voices of young adults and the family, friends, and peers who support them through mental wellness challenges. Gabrielle invites the guests to evaluate what worked well, what proved challenging, and what impact the project made. Their conversation offers a rare “look back” at online participatory visual methods after a project’s completion, highlighting how these creative approaches shaped both the research and the researchers themselves. They also share candid insights about collaborating entirely online: what helped the team feel connected, what obstacles emerged, and how digital spaces can support meaningful community-engaged research. This reflective dialogue is both a learning resource and an inspiration for anyone working with participatory visual methods.

Conversation Outline:

Introduction (0:00-3:55)
Fostering feelings of safety, comfort, and ownership over your own story (3:56-9:18)
Vulnerability in online spaces and feeling motivated by a potential community impact (9:19-14:48)
Keys to success: expectation setting, collaborative environment, trust with facilitators (14:49-17:58)
The impact of photovoice on co-researchers: Intergenerational friendships, validation, self-confidence, and building a wellness practice (17:59- 28:18)

Learn More:

Young Adult Mental Wellness Collaborative (2025). Through Our Eyes: Stories of Mental Wellness and Resilience from Young Adults and Family/Friend Caregivers. Young Adult Mental Wellness and Diversity – e-Zine. CIHR#168943, Trillium Health Partners – Institute for Better Health, Mississauga, Canada.
Youing Adult Mental Wellness Collaborative (2025). Through Our Eyes: Young Adult Mental Wellness. Through Our Eyes: Young Adult Mental Wellness – A Photovoice Digital Documentary. CIHR#168943, Trillium Health Partners – Institute for Better Health, Mississauga, Canada.
For more information on the podcast project, to view the episode transcript, and to learn more about online photovoice (including some introductory resources), visit: https://aim4communityhealth.ca/exploring-participatory-visual-methods-online/
For more on the Centre for Community Based Research

Episode Transcript

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Guest and Host Bios

Gabrielle Griffith (Host)

Gabrielle Griffith is a queer, non-binary birth parent, community builder and creative. They are driven by a commitment to foster belonging, care, and co-create solutions that address barriers in the communities they work with. Gab works as a research associate with the Family and Child Health Initiative at Trillium Health Partners.

Cherry Cruz (Guest)

Cherry Cruz is a Registered Early Childhood Educator with a deep interest in the mental health field. She holds a graduate certificate in Addiction and Mental Health from Seneca College, where she deepened her understanding of trauma-informed care and support. As a sibling survivor of suicide following her brother’s death in 2012, Cherry brings compassion, lived experience, and advocacy to every conversation she leads.

Rene Adams (Guest)

Rene Adams is a student at Michener Institute studying Community Health and Social Medicine Care. She is a mom of two and a grandmother of three.

Erin MacDonald (Guest)

Erin MacDonald runs a tutoring business that specializes in working with neurodiverse kids, including ADHD, autism, and dyslexia and who may have intersecting mental health challenges. Her approach centers safety, confidence, and understanding while building academic skills.

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