Zines

Tool by: MARK Salzburt (Austria)

Zines Making can be used in any kind of educational subject such as art education, languages, computer science, psychology and philosophy. They can be aimed at any target group, of any age or context. There are informative, critical, satirical, humourous or self-reflective Zines - following a thought, an idea, information or a feeling.

Especially for Youth and young adults Zine Making is a welcome method for self-reflection, dealing with questions concerning their life plan and how they see their environment and confrontation. Also, Participants with educational difficulties can fully engage in all the sessions without restrictions. Zines making does not follow any rules or guidelines. The only frame given is the size of each page, which can still be extended (like a fold-out). Like this, participants could fully engage with their work and use the material and way of expression they prefer. No means of expression is mandatory, only optional. If one prefers writing, there are no rules regarding language use, slang or grammar. If one prefers painting or drawing, any style is accepted. With collages, unusual combinations out of the norm can be created.

What are the Goals of this Tool?

To help YOUTH with Training, in the fields of ARTS and CREATIVITY.
To help YOUTH with Job searching and Job Creation in the fields of ARTS and CREATIVITY.

Impact on Youth

to be able to express themselves and their needs
to explore their talents, in the field of ARTS and CREATIVITY
to enable activities according to what they like and to what they can do; in contrast to what formal education
to enhance creativity and creative thinking

Material to download:

Postcard Set

Manual: How to create a Mini-Zine

Examples for Zines

You want to get inspired?
Take a look at the zines here:

QZAP Zine Archive
PLUS Zines Archive
Zinebook

TOOL: ZINES-Workshop

Click here to download

For about 4-20 participants - in case of a bigger group (from 10 participants upwards) please consider to calculate more time and materials. If necessary the group can alse be divided.

Part 1 - Finding the topic and relevant questions to answer in the Zine

Aim: Finding out about relevant questions for youth concerning Job searching, Job Creation and Job market

Required material/logistic resources:

Postcards/photographs (you can find a set of postcards concerning the field of Arts to download above - However, you can simply use another kind of pictures/postcards, depending on the topic you want to work on)
Flip chart or white board or black board
Zines from the local archive in the gendup!-Library of Salzburg University

Description/Methodology:

1. Ice breaker postcard game: The participants sit in a circle. In the middle, there is a set of photographs with people in different kind of job and working situations. The participants are asked to choose a photograph that they like. The choice does not follow a certain guideline. The participants form pairs and tell each other, why they have chosen it and what they see on it. After, the pictures are swapped and new partners are found. The new partner is told, what the former partner saw on the picture and how they interpretated it themselves. The pictures are swapped again and more rounds like this follow. This goes on for about ten minutes.
2. Bringing together the experiences: After, the participants are asked to tell about their experiences with the different pictures and what kind of questions occurred to them during the session to the group. The questions are collected and put down on a chart.
After, the trainer present a set of questions concerning the topic (in this sense: Working in the field of Arts and Creativity). The participants are were asked if they considered these questions relevant. They could freely answer to the questions, re-formulate them or combine them with the questions occurred during the postcard game. The goal is to find out about what really concerns youth and young adults in their life and at the same time, to have a set of questions to reflect on for the Zines to create.
3. Short presentation of zines: Participants are introduced to the concept of zine making by looking at some examples. If there is no local Zine Archive around, there are many examples to be found online.

Part 2: Zine Workshop

Aim: Self-Reflection and confrontation with life plans and today’s job environment

Required material/logistic resources: Magazines, flyers, papers, newspapers of all kind, all kind of pens, glue, stapler, scissors to everyone, strings, cords, scraps of fabric, decorated wrapping paper, … as well as enough space to everyone to work; Big Tables or floor according to the preference of each participant. For research and to gather information, smartphones or tablets come in handy.

Description/Methodology:

Zine Making does neither ask for high elaborated skills in writing or drawing nor does it require any knowledge about a specific field. The aim of a zine is simply to address a certain topic from an unconventional way.
The starting point for this zine making workshop are empty sheets of paper and a set of questions. The questions either occured during the postcard game or within the last two days of performance workshops. The participants have to choose if they want to work as a group and create a zine together - in that case each one creates single pages that are combined in the end - or if they want to work on their own. If they want to work individually, they could opt for the format of a Mini-Zine (see materials).
Each participant chooses a question or a set of questions to deal with, just as the participant likes. The answer can be written, painted, collaged, assembled . The result can be a text, or a abstract depiction of a feeling, or a collage. In the end, if the participants work as a group, the pages are put together - stapled, glued, sewed. If there is a copy machine, the zine can be copied for each participant as well.

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