Creative comics workshop with young adults: Organizing a new working method for the youth work.

Abstract

The aim of this project-based thesis is to create a new working method for the youth work. Idea for the project came from my last practice placement in Novak-project (Novak-hanke), in the end of the year 2018.

Thesis will examine social exclusion of young adults and process of the comic workshops. Different art methods are widely used in youth work but using comics as one of the working methods is not very common. Comics workshops were carried out in four different sessions with two different student groups between February 2019 and May 2019. Target was to understand view of the world of young adults by giving the voice and tools for the youth themselves, and assist them to create their stories and views about the world and society by drawing. Idea behind the thesis was to follow Finnish Youth Legislation Act, empower adolescents who were participating in the project and give them meaningful activities. The result was finished comic book with 14 pages from nine different artists.

This will be a project-based thesis where I will examine if comics could be used as one of the working methods in youth work.