Your Welcoming Photos, Your Welcoming Story
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Overview
Your Welcoming Photos, Your Welcoming Story
Who made you feel like you belonged this week?
Maybe someone saved you a seat, or held a door, or learned to say your name right. Belonging rarely announces itself. It shows up in small moments that are easy to walk past and hard to photograph, which is exactly why we are asking you to try.
Creative Changemakers, powered by Creative Visions, equips young people to use creativity to make positive changes in their communities. We have teamed up with Welcoming America, which helps communities across the country become places where everyone belongs. Every September, they lead Welcoming Week, a worldwide celebration where neighbors gather to meet and share their stories. This year, it runs from September 10 to 19, and the theme is Stories We Share: The Courage to Connect.
So we are asking a question only you can answer: what does welcoming look like where you live? Not in a stock photo. On your block, at your lunch table, in your family’s kitchen. Pick up the phone in your pocket and show us. Your photos could be featured in a gallery during Welcoming Week.
To learn more about Welcoming Week, click here.
Free. Open to youth ages 13 to 18. No prior photography experience needed.
Step 1: Get the toolkit
Download the free PhotoVoice Toolkit and discover how to tell powerful stories through photography. Learn simple techniques, reflect on your images, and create with confidence—using just your phone.
Step 2: Look around
Before you start photographing, take a few days to notice your surroundings. Who makes your community feel welcoming? Where do you feel most like yourself? Who quietly helps others feel included? And who is still waiting to be welcomed?
Step 3: Capture
Now take your photos. Focus on specific moments rather than broad scenes, and capture more images than you think you’ll need. Always ask permission before photographing someone, and respect their answer. Consent is part of good storytelling.
Step 4: Reflect
Choose your strongest images and write a short reflection. Explain what we’re seeing, why it matters, and what the photo reveals. The image captures attention; your words give it meaning.
Step 5: Submit your work
Share your photos and reflections below. Selected work will be featured in the gallery on this page, and we are working with Welcoming America to showcase submissions during Welcoming Week, September 10 to 19.
Gallery
Get inspired! Check out these submissions from real youth who documented what welcoming means to them.
Beginning of the story
Visual Arts
Beginning of the story
Artist
chloe k.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
The pictures submitted are shown of the cheer room and my first spanish teacher’s classroom. I chose these two because these are the areas I was first ever in a safe and brave space when I arrived to Wilson. These two places make me feel comfortable and vulnerable to be myself, and helped shape me into who I am, and the people I know today.
Driving in the Garage
Visual ArtsDriving in the Garage
Artist
Emilee S.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
We matured/From silence and slammed doors/To late night drives/Random side quests for boba/Random Target runs/and walking Mindy at ten. Thus begins “Love in the Absence,” a poetic film about love, loss, and two sisters. In this still from our short film I call “Driving in the Garage,” my best friend Natalie plays my older sister. Natalie saved me as my older sister wasn’t able to film with me. We have been best friends since birth.
Friendship
Visual Arts
Friendship
Artist
Stella J.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
Welcoming looks like a friend sitting down to explain a hard physics problem without judgment
A gathering place
Visual ArtsA gathering place
Artist
Katie L.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
A photo of a place usually filled with people in every row. During early mornings like this, the stairs are quiet but not empty. Instead, there is a promise of students who will show up and gather with friends each day, and a community that has been formed out of it.
Welcoming photos
Visual Arts
Welcoming photos
Artist
Bobbi R.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
These photos show the people and my dog who make me feel welcomed. The picture of me and my best friend represents a friendship that means a lot to me. She is there for me whenever I need her and I can always be myself around her. The picture of me and my boyfriend represents someone who makes me feel lived and cared for. Being around him makes me feel happy and comfortable. And then the picture of me and my dog represents comfort. She has been in my life for a couple of years now and has been a constant part of it. Whether i’m having a bad or good day she brings me comfort and makes me feel leas alone.
Visual Arts
Visual ArtsVisual Arts
Artist
Audrina Z.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
My pictures include my school and a picture of me and my teammates. I chose these pictures because staying committed to school and a sport takes a lot of effort and time management. It reminds me to never give up and that good things will come out of all the hard work you do
Exhail
Visual Arts
Exhail
Artist
Madilee S.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
This submission indulges into safe spaces at school. weather it be stress or a conflict i know i can go to these places on campus to releive my stress and as some my all it “the cure” to my problems.
volunteer
Visual Artsvolunteer
Artist
Jasmine D.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
Me and my friends helping volunteer for an advanced show.
Welcoming Photos/Story
Visual Arts
Welcoming Photos/Story
Artist
Matthew D.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
I am submitting pictures that represent certain very important portions of my life. These represent what takes up my life and what they really mean to me. The first picture I decided to show me car. May car is really important to me as it allows me to go to school, go to hockey practices, and be able to create memories with my family and friends when I drive the to places. For the Second picture I chose the hockey rink I am always at. I play hockey there at least 2 times a week and that is my safe place. Hockey takes me away from reality of life and provides me with happiness if I’m down in life. I can always count on hockey to be my way of gaining more and more happiness. Also, I am very close to my teammates. Lastly, I chose a picture of my taking pictures for the Wilson Football Team. Every week’s game I am in charge of video-graphing the games for football. Photography and Videography is my second passion other than Hockey. Creating videos or photos has brought to so many connections, places, or times that I never take for granted.
Who I Am
Visual ArtsWho I Am
Artist
Kane T.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
Band and nature have been a big part of my life. Being exposed to music and nature has shaped how i feel with music, how i connect to other things to my life, and how those little characteristics have been able to change my character
Pizzeria Fun
Visual ArtsPizzeria Fun
Artist
Fletcher C.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
Me and my friend both visited a fair in Orange County, where we both ate at the restaurant, Blaze Pizza. The main message of this photo is that after hours of walking around we finally got to sit down and just observe our surroundings. Then, when I tried taking a photo of my food my friend wanted to be in the photo. So the message is also about how we enjoy each others company.
Robotics
Visual ArtsRobotics
Artist
Joshua Y.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
In this photo, it captures what we do and what we create inside of robotics, working tirelessly to create a finished bot before a competition and cooperating all together as a team, individually carrying our own wieght. This is to signify the experience and the teamwork required to operate on a robotics team.
Life after you
Visual Arts
Life after you
Artist
Janette M.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
Since I was a little girl, I’ve endured things no child should ever have to experience. Those experiences took a toll on me and shaped the way I love people. I became afraid of losing the people who mean the most to me because I know what it feels like when someone you love isn’t there anymore. That’s why these pictures mean so much to me. My family, my cousins, my friends, and the people I love have helped create the person I am today. But now, I’m facing the kind of changes I’ve always feared. My cousin is leaving for college soon, and my boyfriend will soon leave to become a Marine. I’m proud of them, but I can’t help questioning myself and wondering, “What happens when the people I love leave?” I’m learning that distance doesn’t erase love, and that letting someone go doesn’t mean losing them. Maybe loving someone also means being brave enough to let them grow.
Welcoming Photo
Visual ArtsWelcoming Photo
Artist
Adriana H.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
This photo represents the group of people I feel most welcome with. What makes this group special is that our sense of belonging isn’t tied to a specific place. I included a photo of one of the many meals we’ve shared together. The fullness of the table represents the liveliness included in the days we spend with each other. No matter where we are or how long it has been since we last saw each other, being together always feels natural, without having to worry about awkwardness or feeling left out. This photo reminds me that community isn’t always about a physical space or room, sometimes, it’s about the people who make you feel comfortable, accepted, and at home wherever you are.
Privilege of Volunteering
Visual Arts
Privilege of Volunteering
Artist
Yejin K.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
My experiences at working at volunteering shelter has made me feel welcome into a setting where I get to work with animals that cannot take care of themselves. Volunteering has helped me go in the community as a unfamiliar place and transform that into a place where I get to be a part of it as a family.
Welcoming Photos
Visual Arts
Welcoming Photos
Artist
Emily S.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
These photos represent where I feel the most comforted. School is an anchor in times of stress, as I spend most of my time around a close community of friends. I also find serenity when traveling; Viewing different sceneries and being able to explore different foods gives me a sense of ease.
Welcoming Photos
Visual Arts
Welcoming Photos
Artist
Madison T.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
The photos above contain the people who make me feel welcome and invited. Being able to connect with people who welcome me with open arms allows me to be myself and appreciate the little things in life. They make an effort to make me feel seen and loved, making me comfortable with my surroundings and reassured that my presence is wanted.
My school Life
Visual ArtsMy school Life
Artist
Valerie L.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
This is a day at my school. This is what I see: the people I surround myself with and the place I’d be at.
A Boy In a New World
Visual Arts
A Boy In a New World
Artist
Kenneth W.
Arts activity type
Visual Arts
Reflection
These photos follow my journey through unfamiliar classrooms my own version of stepping into a brand-new world. It’s about the quiet moments of adjusting to new spaces and finding your footing among faces that haven’t quite become familiar yet. Amidst the overwhelming rush of starting fresh, the library became my anchor the one space where things finally slow down and I feel safe.
Join us! Show us what welcoming looks like where you live.
Submit
your welcoming story.
Send us the photos you took, with a reflection. If you are under 18, we will need consent from a parent or guardian, and signed permission from anyone clearly identifiable in your photos.
You keep ownership of your photos. Submitting gives Creative Visions and Welcoming America permission to feature your work in the gallery and related materials, always with credit to you.
Deadline: September 30, 2026 11:59 pm PDT
Questions? Reach us at [email protected]. Educators and youth group leaders: the toolkit includes facilitation notes and works as a standalone unit or across several sessions.