This story is part of a series that sees youth partnered with writing, photography, and art mentors to help capture their own perspective and narrative. The program is made possible with funding from the Skillman Foundation.
Cass Technical High School student Stephanie Haney was immediately drawn to the photography side of Model D's recent Voice of Youth initiative.
"Photos hold memory and can tell words that people can't even form for themselves," says Haney. "Every photo has a different story."
The Detroit teen worked with professional photographer Val Waller to explore the theme of self-care in her photo essay, featured in the gallery above.
"I wanted her to explore what that looks like for her during her everyday life," says Waller. "I think she did an awesome job of exploring the subject visually, and she let me know she had a great time putting it together."
Haney says she hopes that through her work, people gain the knowledge that "it's ok to take time for themselves and don't feel bad about that".
"Self-care means to have time for yourself without feeling bad about it or anything."
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Stephanie Haney participates in the Voices of Youth workshops. Photo by Val Waller.
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