“Through their work together, project participants continually referred to the importance of the project as a vital way of them connecting to one another, supporting one another, and finding possible ways to address problems and discrimination they continued to face in school and society” (Roxas, Gabriel & Becker, 2017, p. 24).

The aspect of this project that resonates with me the most is the newcomers’ ability to integrate into the community and, at the same time, the community’s opportunity to meet and interact with each other, especially those that are new. I think a lot of people, i.e. educators, administration, parents, student, local community members, etc., struggle with the idea of “community”, and what does that even mean? How do you achieve it, and not only for just a moment, but long-lasting connections for the betterment of the greater whole?

The Photovoice project that Roxas, Gabriel and Becker (2017) explain seems to be an incredible means of achieving a deep sense of community for all involved. Though it may be a time-consuming endeavor, I have thought through a possibly highly-effective way of carrying it out:

1. If every newcomer to intermediate-level English learners were assigned this project in their ESL classroom as part of the curriculum, the time and space needed to complete it would already be incorporated into their day-to-day work. Those particular students would also able to build their own sense of community by working together and sharing experiences along the way.

2. Schools have parent-teacher conferences twice a year. If by the Spring conference, every students’ project was complete, they could be exhibited somewhere in the school where parents and students could see them at this time.

a) A larger local community event could also be planned to bring in more families and community members to meet the students and their families that are new to the area.

3. This same exhibit could be utilized as a school-wide community-building event. Classrooms and their teachers could walk through the exhibit, meet the students that created the projects, hear stories, ask questions and much more. Discussions could continue into the classroom and students could brainstorm ways to address the problems and discrimination that are shown in the exhibit and an action plan to initiate change.

4. To further help these students, a project of this magnitude could be used as a means to open up conversations with educators in professional development/staff meetings. It would offer them the time and space to explore what biases they may have and build together a deeper understanding of the students they are all tasked to work with, educate and protect.

My point is, it’s not impossible. It just has to be deemed important.