May 28, 2025

Photography is the art of capturing images with light and a camera. The purpose of art is for creative expression, but it can also be a powerful tool for healing the soul. This is especially true for Noah Gillis, a former youth in foster care at Plummer Youth Promise. He loves photography because he is passionate about capturing memories and making people smile!

We asked Noah to return to Plummer Youth Promise to help take staff headshots and to give him an opportunity to build up his professional portfolio. He felt elated at the idea of returning to Plummer for work and revisiting a place that played a pivotal role while growing up as a teenager.

Noah returned to Plummer in February, during a bitter cold winter day and only a week after the passing of his beloved grandfather. He now explains that he is staying close to his mother and helping her get through this difficult time.

Despite this difficult grieving period, Noah seems excited to come back. He wears an oversized quarter-zip pullover that he explains belonged to his grandfather. A hardworking man who he had come to admire after reconnecting with his relatives. He even describes his new goal of getting a license to drive buses for the MBTA, as his grandfather had done before retirement.

Noah’s kind demeanor and positive outlook on life is refreshing. It is obvious that the now 21-year-old has grown up so much since his time as a teenager in Plummer Youth Promise. The world has not been kind to him, but Noah expresses that he refuses to allow hardships to define him. He expresses mental well-being as his most important value. Although he has become more comfortable in coming to terms with his past, it had been a long journey to self-acceptance.

At the young age of 6, Noah’s mother made the difficult decision to relinquish her parental rights and release his custody to the Department of Children and Families (DCF). With an absent father and a mother who was unable to care for him, Noah recalls the feelings of intense loneliness, confusion, and the pain of parental rejection.

Being so young, he didn’t understand what was happening. He wondered where his family was and wondered why he had to live separately from them. When a youth has been removed from their family, they often experience resentment and negative feelings stemming from abandonment. Noah felt a loss of self-worth, as if he was not worthy of love and forgotten about.

Over the course of his childhood, Noah had transitioned through different child welfare programs and group homes. Moving in and out of different programs has happened so many times in his life that he finds it difficult to remember his actual number placements. He estimates only four months of not being within a child welfare program.

Each time he moved between programs, he recalls the difficulty of adjusting to a new environment every time. Children within the foster care system also experience a loss of autonomy as they go through the system.

Noah recalls adjusting to his new normal of asking staff for food or letting them know when he needed to go to the bathroom. Every group home had different social workers and other youth to become acquainted with. Every program had its own set of rules and expectations to follow.

By the time he came to Plummer Youth Promise at 16 years old, Noah had already experienced multiple placements in different programs. He was filled with anger and resentment towards his family. He felt trapped in what seemed like an endless cycle of group homes and trauma.

During this point, his relationship with his mother was strained and difficult. He didn’t want to see her and felt hurt by the inconsistent phone calls and lack of communication over the years.

As we walk along the pebble pathway facing the Winter Island shoreline, Noah stares off toward the sea and remembers the intense negative emotions he felt back then. He remembers throwing rocks into the water and wanting to run away.

Feeling a loss of control over the years had caused him to yearn for freedom as a teenager. He tells us, “I wasn’t trying to start trouble by running away. I feel kind of bad looking back on that now. I was trying to get back to my family and see my grandparents.”

In a desperate attempt to fulfill his need for family connection, Noah would run off and take public transportation to find his way back home.

Our social workers never gave up and always brought Noah back safely to Plummer. As he continued to work more closely with the Plummer staff, Noah’s anger began to taper off as he was given a safe space to express his emotions and begin healing.

Noah also appreciated being given more freedom than he had experienced from previous places where he had lived. We believe in treating the youth we serve with dignity and respect as we understand the deep-rooted emotional trauma they have endured. Our approach when working with youth is to take on a trauma-informed lens and to listen without judgment. We believe in empowering the youth with opportunities to grow and decision-making power to shape their own future. Each young person helps to develop their own goals and works with our staff to process past traumas with coping skills and conflict resolution.

To help cope with his feelings, Noah began taking photos with a cell phone in his room. He stumbled upon his passion for photography when trying to alleviate boredom and being cooped up in his room, especially during the pandemic’s early years. He found the art of photography as a positive outlet to channel his emotions.

Our mentorship program provided Noah with an opportunity to learn more about professional photography. Noah took a course with the mentor to cover the basic foundations of taking photos effectively. We were also able to gift him with his first DSLR camera, thanks to the generosity of a kind donor!

Noah’s favorite subjects to photograph are people. He remarks, “I really like making people happy. Just because things might not have worked out in my own life doesn’t mean I cannot find ways to make others smile. Seeing people looking happy in my photos is something that gives me joy.”

As we go inside the Plummer Youth Promise building, Noah’s excitement to return is palpable as he is greeted by residential staff and his former social workers. The staff recall the amazing photo Noah had captured of the Plummer home decorated with lights for the holidays, which now hangs proudly in our dining area.

With careful skill and precision, he places the DSLR camera on its tripod and takes pictures of the familiar staff who have helped him during his teen years. In a way, it is like a reunion as he hugs our residential program supervisor and the two catch up on life over the years since Noah’s departure. Our staff recall funny stories of when he used to get in trouble and remark proudly on how much he has grown up over the years.

Noah finishes a busy day of photography with a visit to our new residential building which will serve as the new facility for the youth we serve. As Noah tours through the brand-new living quarters with its single bedrooms and single occupancy bathrooms, he remarks, “I wish we had this back then, but I’m glad this will help the kids now.”

As he reflects on revisiting Plummer, he feels a sense of pride for being part of such an important project with the staff that had cared for him in the past. He states, “I appreciated the staff so much more as I got older. Sometimes the staff might have been strict, but they were never mean. If they seem upset, it’s because they care. The people at Plummer truly care.”

Want to support Noah Gillis on his photography journey? Follow him on Instagram @noahgillisphotography or email noahgillisphotography04@gmail.com for inquiries. Noah specializes in photography of sports, senior photos, graduation, or family pictures.

See some of the pictures Noah took on our team page!