Stirring minds…preserving water !.......By Shivakumar (Bangalore, India)

The ARTGROUP had taken the initiative of water issue based comics workshop facilitated by Shivakumar, for school children within 10th standard on 5th July 2009 at Doodaballapur, Bangalore. The idea was to bring out the present water issues at the town to the view of community through comics. It was aimed to bring about better understanding on environmental issues, build awareness, creativity and consciousness among students and children. The participants developed interesting issue based comics related to environment, pollution and control strategy.

The feedback session was very interesting, the free expression of the students on their understanding, involvement, interest, improvement on such ideas and changing mind was quite impressive. So as a follow up to the workshop, an exhibition of the comics was organised on 12th July 2009, with good gathering and representation of parents, teachers, motivated individuals having concern on environment and community organization like Nagadala and institutions like- SVARAJ and Mahila Samaj. Many expressed that it changed their attitude of learning, that their knowledge has been improved in relation to the environment education, and how a simple comics can influence the minds of the people…

Young minds at work...creates a chain reaction in Delhi!....By Kritika Mattoo and Ritikaa Khunnah (Delhi, India)

Kritika Mattoo and Ritikaa Khunnah organized a Grassroots Comics workshop on 22-23rd June, 09 with nine enthusiastic youth of Delhi at Pravah office in Kalkaji, New Delhi. The participants were volunteers working for NSS, an NGO associated with Pravah. All nine of them came up with wonderful comics on issues ranging from encouraging sports as a profession, cleanliness in railways to encouraging girl child to study, discrimination on basis of religion etc. What was inspiring for both of them was to see how unsure these youth looked in the beginning, somewhere just like them in the beginning of April workshop and how they all finally came up with excellent comics!

The group decided to make about 10 comics on issues of their interest in next one month and then meet and put all of it as an exhibition in a public space. The good news is that this group has already conducted a two- day grassroots comics workshop on June29-30th, 09 with15 more youth and taught them how to make wallposter comics. A chain reaction indeed!

Tobacco down to ashes! By Wangshikokla Jamir (Nagaland, India)

A three days’ Workshop was held on Grassroots comics at Enterprising Youth Centre, 4th Mile, Diphupar, Dimapur, Nagaland from 18th-20th May’09 with 15 participants from across Dimapur. The participants were members of EYC Centre and a few were freelancer journalists. The participants were also invited to participate in the observance of anti-tobacco day on 24.05.09 and a session was facilitated by Ms. Wangshikokla in the workshop while the participants of the grassroots comics produced anti-tobacco posters which were posted in the streets and other public places. There were nearly hundred youth engaged in the programme.

A plan has been drawn up to organise another workshop as second phase during the summer holidays in mid-july with college students. Out of 15th participants 6 artists have been nominated to work with us on comic development.The participants have grouped together and formed into a “Nagaland Grassroots Comics” and they have planned to start a regular publication of comic strips every month from June onwards. They group will target social reform themes which are relevant to the present social millieu...

High spirit in lower Assam...by Amrith Basumatary and Hima Baishya, India

A Grassroots Comics workshop concluded in Baksha district of Assam. The workshop was jointly organized by World Comics India and Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, Guwahati. The workshop was held from 9th to 12th May 2009 at Tamulpur Anchalik Gram Sahyog (TAGS) Kumarikata , known as the largest NGO to the Northeastern states. The trainers of the workshop were Amrith Basumatary (Chirang Comics Circles) Bongaigaon and Hima Rani Baishya (New Ways, Guwahati).

A total of 55 students of a local chain of school run by Asha Darshan Samiti (Tamulpur) had participated in the workshop. Apart from them teachers and staff, too participated in the workshop. The sessions were so interesting that the founder of Asha Darshan Samiti Ms. Biju Borboruah couldn’t stop herself to draw her own story!

The main objective of the workshop was to sensitize participants on social issues and develop reading habit. A wide range of issues were addressed by the participants in their comics from alcoholism to witch-hunting. It was a unique experience for the students to develop their own comics, most of whom have never got a chance to read any mainstream comics before…

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Innocently powerful...By Rabin Raj Niraula (Kathmandu, Nepal)

A Grassroots Comics Workshop was conducted from 29th-31st May 2009 by Rabin Raj Niraula representing World Comics Network in association with CHILD Nepal a local NGO working on child issues. Two More Trainers Tika Dahal and Mohan Dangal actively facilitated the 3 days Program. Sanjib Adhikari from Child Development Society participated as a volunteer. Kiran Thapa from Child Development Society conducted a guest session on Wall Comics.

Students were keenly interested with the name Wall Comics, and were actively participating in each lessons. They highlighted on different issues mostly related with Child like Child Abuse, Child Rights, Equality, School access and many more.

On The Third Day, Children performed their presentation by displaying their work in Chabahil Ganesthan (Ganesh Mandir Area). They collected feedback from the pedestrians and visitors. Some were really interested to publish wall comics in their school notice board and were searching for ways to expose their own work on comics. Their interaction had energized their will to draw more comics and were eager to conduct similar workshop among their friends.

Read more on http://comicsvoice.blogspot.com

Catching the stories in fishermen's village...by Nida Shams (Karachi, Pakistan)

World Comics organized a 3 day Comics workshop from 19-21 May 2009 in collaboration with WWF Pakistan at Wetland Centre, Karachi. The workshop was conducted by Nida Shams, representing World Comics in Pakistan.

Participants were from various walks of life like students, teachers and community mobilizers of Kakapeer community schools (Kakapeer is a fishermen village located at Sandspit beach in Karachi). These nineteen participants came up with wonderful stories on their day-to-day life problems like water, electricity, bomb blasts and strikes. Most of the children made comics on their real life stories. Teachers took keen interest in the training and found this tool useful for teaching purposes. Now children are planning to train their friends in summer vacations!

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Distant voices...by Usha Dewani (Assam, India)

A Grassroots Comics workshop was organized by Usha of New Ways group in association with Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, Guwahati. The other trainers were Minakshi Gogoi, Sushmita Lahkar.
35 inmates of State home for Women participated in the workshop including 1 volunteer from Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti. The participants were minor girls, who are homeless, trauma struck or rescued victims of social vices like trafficking, prostitution, child labour etc.
The objective of the workshop was to help the participants express their suppressed feelings through the medium of comics. Majority of the participants could not read or write and the workshop was meant to bring a breakthrough in their usual way of communicating their concerns...

Setting about motion...

As a follow up to the “No Tobacco “ drive, Manas and Usha decided to use the comics prepared on tobacco Control in the workshop with VHAA in a place that has a huge number of youth getting dragged into the addiction. They, along with other members of New Ways group planned to have a Grassroots Comics exhibition in Gauhati University campus in the Youth festival 09. The idea was to spread awareness on the different causes and impact of tobacco consumption among the people, especially youth and to inform people about the litigation associated with the violation of the existing legal acts and provisions.

The response of the people was unbelievable! Young boys and girls thronged to read the comics displayed and commented on how and what they liked. Some admitted that the comics informed them of new things and showed faith in the medium to be powerful enough to generate public participation. There were also suggestions to take action against the shops selling tobacco and gutkha in the University campus after reading the comics on the same topic.

Read more on http://nayidishayein.blogspot.com/

Tobacco in Four Square ….by Usha and Manas (Assam, India)

After the Delhi workshop Manas happened to come to Guwahati and as a part of the  programme, we decided to do a workshop together here. So this happened! A Grassroots Comics Workshop was conducted by trainers Usha Dewani from New Ways Group and Manas Baruah from World comics India in association with Voluntary Health Association of Assam. The theme of the workshop was tobacco control.    A total of 16 people participated in the workshop. The participants were a mixed group of members of NGOs, Volunteers from VHAA and recovered victims of tobacco and drug abuse. The participants came from various districts of Assam and represented various age groups. The chief aim of the workshop was to propagate Grassroots Comics as an alternate media to express their concerns, ideas and voices on issues important for them and the community. The workshop was designed to bring out the different aspects of tobacco consumption among the people. Two sub-trainers, Sushmita Lahkar and Shivajyoti Das Baruah from New Ways also assisted in the workshop. The workshop served to help the participants realize how they can prepare comics themselves, to bring out their own people’s issues and set about motion to motivate them to work upon these problems.

The Team !

Grassroots Media for Social Change!

Eighteen participants from different parts of South Asia expressed a range of concerns through comics phrased in their local languages. These participants working in different themes in their respective areas not only produced comics but as trained another batch of 22 participants.

The Grassroots Media Course on using comics for social change was held in Delhi in April 2009. The course was done in collaboration with World Comics, Pravah Learning Voyages and Commutiny- The Youth Collective. The course kicked of with a Comics Workshop. It was facilitated by Sharad Sharma (World Comics India) who along with Leif Packalen (World Comics Finland) shared fantastic experience with World Comics from across the world on conducting comics campaign while Ashraf Patel (Pravah and  commutiny) offered different perspective on youth development.

 

Akokla from Nagaland; Usha, Manas and Hima from Assam; Chandan and Jitendra from MP; Shashi, Prangya and Bharati from Orissa; Ishwar and Visheshwar from Chhatisgarh; Madhav and Sarika from Maharashtra; Shivkumar from Karnataka, Ritika and Kritika from Delhi, Robin from Nepal and Nida Shams from Pakistan are the young minds who participated,  while two WCI seniors Sunder Mohan  Murmu and Lakindra Nayak from Jharkhand observed the whole process.

 

Following the workshop the participants would be organizing social campaigns and comics workshops in their communities over the next few weeks using comics for social change. So, watch this space for more from the field! 

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