Christina Wegs comes to the Hine program with fourteen years of experience in public health, social work, and participatory education in the United States and internationally. She received a dual master’s degree in social work and public health from the University of North Carolina in 2001. For the past seven years, she has worked with international reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs, including programs in Botswana, Vietnam, and Uganda.
“I am looking for more effective ways to advocate for policy and program reform, and for more creative and inclusive ways to partner with individuals and communities,” she says. “I am especially interested in collaborative documentary work, which enables people to tell their own stories, in their own voices. This work helps communities to define their own priorities, and can be a powerful tool for initiating dialogue and action for positive social change.”
Christina completed her Certificate in Documentary Studies in 2008. During her time at CDS, she partnered with a public school teacher who uses Literacy Through Photography methods in her classroom, as well as worked on an oral history project with a local immigrant rights advocate. Her final project was an audio and photographic portrait of a visual artist, documenting his reflections on healing and transformation after a brain surgery paralyzed the left side of his body.
Christina worked with the Hyde Square Task Force in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. The organization began as an effort to reverse the trend of youth violence and heavy drug use in the Hyde/Jackson Square area. After several years, residents realized that significant changes would be possible only through sustained preventative measures that focused on developing the skills of local youth and building positive relationships among youth, families, and all residents. Hyde Square now serves more than 320 young people on a daily basis and more than 800 each year.
For more information on Christina’s fellowship, visit: