Visualizing Belonging: A Photovoice Portrayal of Immigrant and Refugee Youth Voices

Background

Immigrant and refugee youth face multifaceted challenges in resettlement contexts, as they navigate questions of identity, language, culture, belonging, and social inclusion. Belonging is central to their well-being and integration but is often constrained by exclusionary structures and dominant narratives that marginalize youth voices. Recent scholarship calls for a strengths-based, youth-centered approach that highlights the resilience, cultural assets, and lived knowledge of immigrant and refugee youth. This study employed photovoice, a participatory visual methodology, to explore how these youth conceptualize and experience belonging in a Midwestern U.S. city. Grounded in symbolic interactionism, the project aimed to examine the multidimensional meanings of belonging as articulated by youth and generate visual-narrative data to inform inclusive urban policies and community-based interventions. A core innovation of this study lies in its systematic visual data analysis, which foregrounds co-constructed meaning, symbolic representation, and everyday interactions as key to understanding belonging.

Methods

As part of a larger mixed methods project using a community-based participatory research approach, immigrant and refugee youth (N=16; 81.3% female; ages 15–24) participated in three virtual photovoice sessions, submitting 2–3 self-taken photographs each session. Youth wrote narratives using the PHOTO method to describe the significance of their images, followed by group discussions using the SHOWED method to facilitate critical reflection and collective meaning-making. We developed a four-phase analytical process: (1) visual analysis to identify recurring symbols and spatial patterns; (2) narrative analysis of PHOTO reflections to explore individualized constructions of belonging; (3) dialogic analysis of group discussions to uncover collective interpretations; and (4) integrated thematic analysis and concept mapping to synthesize visual, narrative, and dialogic data into a multidimensional framework of belonging.

Findings

Data illuminated complex, layered expressions of belonging through three visual patterns: Place, Space, and Abstraction. Place referred to locations imbued with personal, cultural, or historical meaning, such as places of worship or community centers—sites of identity, memory, and rootedness. Space described more neutral settings like libraries or hospitals that became meaningful through human interaction and social engagement. Youth also used Abstraction to express inner experiences, including expressive, semi-, and symbolic forms—ranging from depictions of emotion to metaphors of mobility, identity, and inclusion. Five key themes emerged: (1) Places of Belonging offered emotional and cultural anchoring; (2) Facilitators of Belonging included inclusive programs, cultural visibility, and representation; (3) Barriers to Belonging encompassed exclusion, lack of representation, and everyday discrimination; (4) Structural Inequities & Youth Inclusion revealed transportation gaps, cultural cliques, and adultification of youth roles; and (5) (Re)Imagining Belonging reflected youth visions of inclusion, cultural harmony, and sustainability.

Implications

This study affirms immigrant and refugee youth as civic actors and knowledge producers. Their visual and narrative insights challenge dominant discourses and reimagine belonging as a politicized, collective experience. Findings can inform equity-centered policies in education, public safety, and urban development. Institutions must create sustained opportunities for youth leadership, cultural responsiveness, and civic participation. This symbolic interactionist approach to photovoice highlights the transformative potential of participatory visual methods in elevating marginalized voices and fostering inclusive change.