Who we are

A young woman with dark hair tied in a bun wearing a black hoodie, standing in a convenience store, holding a camera, and smiling while taking a photo.

Salt. is a community-centered visual storytelling project amplifying voices from Syracuse’s South Side. Part of the larger Syracuse Futures community storytelling platform, Salt uses photography, writing and video to create space for community-driven narratives and to strengthen connections among neighbors. This neighborhood-based initiative celebrates the people, places and organizations shaping everyday life on the South Side, sharing stories that reflect the complexity, resilience and care within the community.

In addition to publishing stories, Salt. includes a training and mentorship program that equips Syracuse community members with ethical visual storytelling skills, with the goal of participants lending their own voices to Salt. The project is associated with Southside Connections, a collaboration between Syracuse University’s Engaged Humanities Network and more than 30 organizations across Syracuse’s South Side. Rooted in collaboration, respect and lived experience, Southside Stories fosters civic engagement, builds intergenerational connections and centers underrepresented perspectives within the community.