Recently I got a note from Kathy Kieliszewski, deputy director of photo and video at the
Detroit Free Press telling me about
a three-year project that takes readers and online viewers inside a corner of the Michigan foster care system.
Kieliszewski explained in her note to me:
Free Press photographer Kathleen Galligan spent three years photographing the children at
Christ Child House, a residential treatment facility for boys in foster care. The Michigan Department of Human Services, which rarely grants permission to openly photograph children in its custody, gave the
Free Press this unusual access to highlight the plight of Michigan's foster children.
Kathleen was joined by reporter Robin Erb, photographers Regina Boone and Romain Blanquart, as well as videographer Brian Kaufman. Their efforts culminated in a 16-page special section and an online component that featured a five-part documentary on the lives of the children, stories and interactive "how to help" elements, including a photo gallery of children currently available for adoption.
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Below is an edited e-mail interview with Kieliszewski, photojournalist Kathleen Galligan and videographer Brian Kaufman.
Tompkins: What were you trying to accomplish with this project? What did you learn about foster care and the kids in the system that surprised you?Galligan: I wanted the kids to have a chance to speak for themselves. There is no expert on the foster care system as qualified as someone living through it. Many of the boys said they were hoping to do some good for other kids who are in the system. As my young friend Devonta said, "I just want other kids to have hope."
I've worked with kids in the system for a long time. I'd say what surprised me most about Christ Child House is the quality of care, the involvement of the larger community, and the belief there that children have a right to be happy. The emphasis in many institutions is on "fixing" the child. I wouldn't wish foster care or a residential placement on my worst enemy, but I would defend to death that the children here are benefiting from the care they receive.
What did I learn? With the right people in your corner, the impossible is possible. (That includes crazy, wonderful editors who are able to get a 16-page special section into the paper in this economy.)
Is the timing of this project being published around the holidays a coincidence, or does it factor in somehow?Kieliszewski: It was a bit of a coincidence and a bit orchestrated. As the final stages of the project were being realized, we set a loose target date of November. Each week, we would evaluate where we stood on the print and online components, being sure to be as realistic with the time table as possible.
Because we had no hard fast deadline, the project could be tweaked until everyone was satisfied that each element was where we wanted it before publication, even if that meant holding it a week. When all the details were how we wanted them, the final publication date worked on many levels. It also helped that the date was just on the heels of
Michigan Adoption Day on Nov. 25.
How did you get permission to capture these photographs when so much of the foster care system is kept private?Kieliszewski: The project began with a simple story a few years ago about
Heart Gallery, a traveling exhibit of oversized photos of state wards who are waiting for homes. Sponsored by the Jackson-based
Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange, this collection of images softens the old "rogue's gallery" approach to recruiting adoptive parents -- those black-and-white file photos of somber-looking kids posed in front of a caseworker's Polaroid.
Through the Heart Gallery, professional photographers capture these kids -- several of whom are boys from Christ Child -- lounging in the grass, teetering on a fence, gripping a football, etc. There was a larger recognition by the state and adoption agencies that pulling back the veil to let these children be seen was pivotal in getting them adopted. Galligan worked with that philosophy and was incredibly persistent in getting the sign-off from the director of Christ Child House and Bill Johnson, head of the
Michigan Children's Institute. Johnson said it best: "It's an effort to educate the public on the challenges we face."
Three years. Wow. What is the value of spending that much time on a project?Galligan: Many kids spend three years or more in the system, if not their whole childhoods. We were able to follow the progression of children through the system ... birthdays, holidays, sports trophies, lost teeth, failed adoptions, new foster homes and new families. The reality is that once kids are in the system, it is difficult for their families to be reunited (that's another story, so stay tuned.) We wanted our readers and viewers to have some idea of the pain that is caused by being separated from one's family. A large part of that pain is the amount of time the kids spend not knowing to whom they belong.
How many photographs did you take over three years? How do you keep such a mammoth project organized over a time frame like that?Kieliszewski: We took thousands of pictures over the three-year period and, in just the last year, more than 100 hours of video. What kept it manageable was keeping on top of the edit. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but when it finally came time for the project to be organized for the paper and video, many of the best photographs and video parts had already been edited. We drew from those core images and clips to create the final project. More than 70 photos ran in print, and the five-part video series totaled about 33 minutes.
I suspect it was difficult not to become attached to the kids when you spent so much time with them.Kieliszewski: Everyone on the project got to know these kids in varying degrees. They reacted to the kids' situations -- the good and the bad -- on a very personal level.
Galligan: Guilty as charged.
Kaufman: It is impossible not to feel for these kids, to wonder what it would be like to change one's life forever. Realistically though, at my young age, with an uncertain career ahead of me, I wasn't going to kid myself about my ability to adopt. Even the prospect of mentoring could turn into a sour disappointment for children who may not understand why their mentor was unexpectedly gone on a Sunday at 1 p.m. because of work.
So I tried to keep my attachment level very shallow. I would talk to the kids about my job, about video, about sports stars I had photographed. They were always inquisitive about my equipment, so I would take time to show them how a video camera operates. Many had a fondness for the soft microphone windscreen and would lurch at it unexpectedly. That would be the end of the lesson. I tried not to spend too much time with any one child, though one day I got wrapped into a game of "Risk" with Ryan, who thought very highly of me. Ryan is now in the process of adoption, which makes me happy.
What has the public's response been?Galligan: Christ Child House has gotten some overwhelming responses since the story ran. The
Free Press is doing a follow-up story related to this for Tuesday's paper.
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