A research project designed to tell the story of what it is like to be a young person in Wichita has come to life as a multimedia art exhibit at The Blank Page, an art gallery at 917 W. Douglas.

The exhibit will be open for a preview party at 4:30 p.m. followed by a showing from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the gallery. It will be displayed until Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Admission is free.

The exhibit, called “Our Voices: Youth in ICT Speak Out,” is made up of photographs, poetry, music and artwork.

It was developed by a group of youth from Wichita and the surrounding areas who spent the past few months recruiting their peers to submit photos and artwork as a way to understand youth experiences in the community.

“What we really wanted to understand was how young people perceive themselves,” said Dina Elias-Rodas, a research associate with the Center for Community Support and Research, part of the Wichita State University psychology department. “Ultimately, our hope is to raise awareness about issues important to young people so community leaders can make informed decisions based on what youth say.”

The youth are part of the Youth United for Positive Action and Wichita Youth Empowerment Partnership. Their findings included:

• Youth need a greater variety of options to learn, contribute and play as an alternative to apathy and disengagement;

• Youth have a large impact on other youth, both negative and positive;

• Youth are aware of the needs, problems and solutions, and are ready to act with the support of the community.

As part of the research process, participants took photos, created pictures, wrote poems or used spoken words to represent their answers to the following questions about what it is like to be a youth in Wichita:

• What resources are available to youth? (places, people, things, etc.)

• What concerns/problems do youth face? (in schools, the community, at home and as individuals)

• What influences and inspires youth? (people, media, culture, places)

• What needs to be done to help youth live in a better society?

• What five words best describe youth in Wichita?

While the research project was funded through several grants to CCSR, Emprise Bank is a major sponsor for the exhibit.

“We believe it is important for young people in our community to have a voice and a venue to highlight issues that are important to them,” said Tom Page, Emprise Bank president. “This is a great opportunity and we are pleased to support the “Our Voices’ project.”

For more information, contact Monica Williams (youth participant) at (316) 210-6900, Lina Chang (youth participant) at (626) 321-8574 or Dina Elias-Rodas (CCSR staff member) at (316) 978-3714.