Thru the Lenz: Participatory Action Research, Photography, and Creative Process in an Urban High School

This article describes how counseling psychology graduate students collaborated with high school students in a participatory action research project called, Thru the Lenz. This project was created in order to gain insight into the lives, experiences, and communities of the students. It utilized photography, creative processes, and a humanistic approach to relationship building. Thru the Lenz illuminates how creative expression fosters new perspectives and insights; how transparency and the leveling of hierarchies can facilitate relationships; and how empowerment is an essential component of creativity and action.