title: Participatory photography gives voice to young non-drivers in New Zealand.
abstract: Youth have the highest crash injury risk in New Zealand. Māori and Pacific youth have an even higher risk. Highlighting and promoting benefits of modal shift from cars to active and public transport may increase health and safety. We aimed to create a discussion surrounding transport issues to gain a better understanding of attitudes and behaviours of non-driving youth, to empower our participants and to promote health and social change by making participants' opinions and experiences known to the broader community through a public exhibition. We engaged nine non-drivers aged 16-24 years in photovoice. Through sharing their photos and stories, participants used the power of the visual image to communicate their experiences. This method is an internationally recognized tool that reduces inequalities by giving those who have minimal decision-making power an opportunity to share their voice. By the end of the project, it was clear that the participants were comfortable with their non-driving status, noting that public and active transport was more cost-effective, easy and convenient. This attitude reflects recent studies showing a marked decrease in licensure among young people in developed countries. This project uniquely prioritized young Māori, Pacific and Asian non-drivers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand aimee.ward@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Aimee L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: Community Action Youth and Drugs, Auckland Council-Central, Level 6 360 Queen Street, Auckland 1141, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Trina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baggett
authors.affiliation: Urbanthinkers, 2007 Charles Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 2V1, Canada.
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orsini
authors.affiliation: Otago Community Hospice, 293 North Road, Gardens, Dunedin 9010, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Angelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Hank
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control; D000293:Adolescent; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D010781:Photography; D014186:Transportation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Māori & Pacific youth; community engagement; photovoice; sustainable transport