We are centering rivers in this session, including their rights to be seen, heard, and cared for. Photovoice invites participants to use photos and short reflections to notice rivers as living relations, not simply as scenery, infrastructure, data points, or resources.

At a glance: Take one photo in response to one of the prompts below, then write a short reflection. You may keep your photo private, share it in conversation, add it to the shared Padlet, or post publicly to social media.

• Padlet (an online space to shrare photos)
•  Password: Rivers
• Optional hashtag: #RiversAreConnectors

Please share only what you are comfortable contributing to a shared or public space and respect the privacy, consent, and boundaries of others.

⬆️ Link to Padlet ⬆️

Password: Rivers

(Padlet works on mobile)

We are centering rivers in this session, including their rights to be seen, heard, and cared for. Photovoice invites participants to use photos and short reflections to notice rivers as living relations, not simply as scenery, infrastructure, data points, or resources.

During the river walk or elsewhere during the conference, you are invited to take one photo in response to the prompts below. You may keep the photo for your own reflection, share it in conversation, add it to the shared Padlet, or post publicly using the optional hashtag.

Please share only what you are comfortable contributing to a shared or public space, and take care to respect the privacy, consent, and boundaries of others.

How to participate

1. Spend time noticing the river, shoreline, water, beings, traces, sounds, movements, absences, and relationships around you.
2. Take one photo that responds to one of the prompts below (or make your own).
3. Write a short reflection.
4. Optional: add your photo and caption to the shared Padlet (password: Rivers)
5. Optional: share publicly using #RiversAreConnectors.

You do not need to post anything to participate. Taking a photo and reflecting privately is also part of the activity.

Prompts

Choose one prompt, or create your own.

• What is the river asking us to see?
• What is the river asking us to hear?
• What is the river asking us to care for?
• What signs of the river’s life, stress, movement, or memory do you notice?
• What responsibilities become visible when you spend time with the river?
• What forms of river caretaking are already happening here?
• What story of river care do you want to carry forward?

Caption guide

Your caption can be brief. You might write 2 to 4 sentences.

You can use this structure:

• I noticed...
• I wonder...
• This image helps me think about river care because...

Or respond to one of these questions:

• Where was this photo taken?
• What drew your attention?
• What does this image call on us to see, hear, or care for?
• What question does this image raise?

Shared Padlet

We are using a Padlet to gather optional photo reflections from the session and river walk.

Add one photo and a short caption under the prompt that best fits your reflection.

Posting to the Padlet is optional. Please share only images and captions you are comfortable contributing to this shared conference space.

• Link to Padlet
• Password: Rivers

Optional public sharing

If you choose to share publicly on Instagram or another platform, use:

• #RiversAreConnectors
• Please only post images you are comfortable making public.

Ethics and care

• This activity is grounded in care for people, places, and the living world around us. As you take photographs, please pause to consider what is appropriate to capture and share.
• Please make sure that people who are identifiable in your photos have given permission. Take special care with sacred, sensitive, private, or vulnerable places, and only share images of these places when permission is clear.
• Please also be attentive to the plants, animals, insects, shorelines, and habitats around you. The photograph should never come at the expense of the place being photographed.
• Please share only what you are comfortable contributing to a shared or public space, and take care to respect the privacy, consent, and boundaries of others.

River Walk

The Assiniboine River Walk brings together several ways of noticing and learning with rivers.

• MacroBlitzing (biodiversity)
• Water Rangers kits (water quality)
• Photovoice (relationships, responsibilities, meanings)

Together, these practices support the broader goal of supporting an ethos of stewardship across river science, storytelling, and local knowledge.

Contact

For questions about this activity, contact:

• riversareconnectors@groups.uwo.ca

PRESENTATION SLIDES