10 Beacon Hill youth participated in six 90-120-minute online sessions November and December 2020
Youth were provided with photography “missions”: (1) general experiences, (2) challenges, (3) safety,
(4) role of identity, (5) love for community
Youth were paid for all activities and were offered technology assistance
We held bimonthly meetings to co-organize the community forum
We identified key themes that were categorized using the mobility justice framework
Mission 1: Youth experiences getting around Beacon Hill?
"I just decided to take [the photo] cuz I'm always driving, but instead I was the passenger in this situation..."
"...I was in an old neighborhood of mine that I used to go to school to and I was like, hey, that tree is really pretty."
"....I was on my way to the mall... we always go to South Center."
"I was hanging out with my girlfriend that day, right. But she doesn't live in Beacon Hill. So we take the train to get to her place."
"...it's just like me going to downtown, but I was using the light rail... I took a picture of it because it's like one of the things that most people like move to Beacon Hill for."
"...I was walking to Red Apple cuz I had to go pick up food for my siblings."
"...usually when I go out I take the car because if I walk, I would go to places near me. But when I go far, I take a car."
"I was on the bus and I was going to my school... I had like an appointment there. And I also wanted to hang out with my boyfriend."
Mission 2: Difficulties/hardships youth experience getting around Beacon Hill?
"...I think it's like hard for like people that are driving like when it's raining, especially in the dark... it could be dangerous to like cross roads and stuff like that… I almost got ran over.
"Yeah, and that's the bus stop I would always take so when it rains, I can't even sit down [due to no shelter]."
"...I was going out with my cousins and it was raining. So it's kind of hard to get to places because it gets slippery. And it was cold, too."
"...the problem with that stop... it doesn't have um the time. It doesn't say when the bus is coming like the thing that will usually be on the pole. I think someone took it off or something and they haven't fixed it yet."
Mission 3: What makes youth feel unsafe when getting around Beacon Hill?
"...I usually go to Mercer to play soccer... And I usually go home by myself and at times I don't want to take the bus because of like COVID. I just walk home. But you know I'm alone in the dark walking, there’s no one around, you know. I just feel unsafe."
"I couldn't go to a place I wanted to take the photo of because like it was already nighttime... and it's not safe over there... there's not a bunch of lights, you can't really see when you're walking in the dark."
"Sometimes they're like spots in like Beacon Hill, where there aren't like lot of light... that makes me feel unsafe. Just because maybe there's like some people crossing the street and I can't even see..."
"He was shouting at someone and then he turned to my friend and... started shouting at her, and we all just ran."
Mission 4: How does identity affect the way youth get around Beacon Hill?
"...sometimes us teenagers need to help our moms because some moms or dads don't know English. And so we would have to help them... but if we say something in our language, people just stare. Like they just give us nasty looks."
"...there's kind of like some little hills like there. So it might be difficult for people in wheelchairs or canes to like walk there. And it's kind of like easier for me so... that can be difficult for people that don't have my ability."
"I feel like the bus hasn't become that safe anymore. Like well a little bit before COVID... it wasn't really sanitary neither because I will go on the bus sometimes and like it'll smell like poop."
"...there was like people... without masks. And then um like, my cousin... jokingly said put your mask on cuz she's like little... they didn’t really take her seriously and they just laughed and left."
"...for me, personally like, again I don't have a car. So like right there is downtown... sometimes I can walk to downtown, sometimes I can't... I'm not sure if like um… income counts as personal identity. But for me personally like some places... are not as accessible."
"...I was driving um, and we had this car kind of like pulled up to us… he was just saying like really rude stuff to us... I hate when people like start commenting things about like, oh, how can you afford this car? Or, what do your parents do?"
"I took this photo because uh, it shows like how because of my age I can’t drive yet."
"...obviously like my age, like I'm not old enough to drive... driving like that’s a lot of money for gas and everything. So like I would take the bus home from school and sometimes go to school that way... that would relate to my identity... age, class..."
Mission 5: What do youth love about getting around Beacon Hill?
"...people at the field were like really happy. And like I feel like that brings up like moods, because you could have a bad day and you go to the field..."
"I always see this special view and so I always have to take a picture of it... this view brings me just like happiness... it just brings some like happy vibe."
"...I play soccer, right. And it's just like... I feel relieved. Every time I play like I put problems to the side. Just by playing soccer."
"...I just kind of felt like taking that picture just to show something that is important to me. And that reminds me of when I was a kid."