Article written by Julie Kasper and Josh Schachter

Finding Voice is a community dialogue project that provides Advanced ESL students from Afghanistan, Ghana, Honduras, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan at Catalina Magnet High School the opportunity to develop their English as a Second Language, critical thinking, and visual literacy skills, and to become active participants in their communities. Students receive guidance through a structured ESL curriculum, self-exploration and mentor support. They use writing and photography to explore and analyze topics of importance to them and then present their images and words to the community through forums, exhibits, and other public venues.

In the spring semester of 2007, students explored the idea of home, both in their “home” countries and in Tucson. In May, the youth presented their words and images in an exhibit entitled “Home?: Teen Refugees and Immigrants Explore their Tucson” at the City of Tucson Ward VI office. The exhibit ran through the summer and was followed by a community forum held in fall 2007. The project was featured in the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Citizen, Tucson Weekly, KUAT’s Arizona Illustrated, and KUAZ’s Arizona Spotlight. In November, the exhibit traveled to San Francisco where it was exhibited by Amnesty International.

In the current 2007-2008 school year, a new group of students decided to focus their energy on the topics of health, war and immigration. In the fall semester, they used their words and images to speak out about health issues at a community forum attended by students’ families and neighbors, local health care and refugee agencies, representatives from the Tucson Unified School District, and other community members. In the spring semester, they intend to focus on issues related to war and immigration. This work will be presented at a forum in late spring, and the cumulative work of 2007-2008 will be displayed in a year-end exhibit.

The Finding Voice Project is coordinated and guided by Julie Kasper, an ESL/English Teacher in the LEARN Center at Catalina Magnet High School and Josh Schachter, a photographer, educator, and mentor. For more information you can contact Julie or Josh via email.