Inverclyde Literacies Partnership

Branchton Community Comic

The Branchton Community Comic is an integrated literacies project based at the Branchton Community Centre. The centre is the main venue for youth activities in the area, providing a range of amenities for young people who access the services regularly. It is also one of the main partners in this project along with The Inverclyde Adult Literacies Partnership (the lead agency).

The Project is based around the production of a quarterly comic, the idea for which was originally voiced by the learners themselves. They believe that historically the press coverage given to their area has been very negative, and that a community publication could go some way to redressing the balance. Furthermore, they see working on the comic as providing an opportunity for them to interact, in a positive way, with the agencies that impact on their lives.

Although news items will be presented using a range of traditional reporting styles, the main medium used will be comic strips: on average three to four per publication.

The project has access to six computers based within the community centre and have purchased licences for Kar2ouche Composer software to produce the comic strips. Participants are supported by two specialist workers; one a specialist worker providing IT support and a youth literacies worker.

Participants are encouraged, in the first instance, to put their ideas down on paper using their own vernacular speech. Encouraging them to write and look at issues surrounding writing skills was the first priority. Editing, and the issues arising out of the type of language used, would be addressed at a later date.

The workers also instigated discussions around the image of the Branchton Area within Greenock and the imagery that the comic wanted to incorporate within is name and logo.

Workers are aware that the Branchton Community Centre and the Branchton comic are tend towards being male centred, however they argue that, in the first instance, they must work with the young people who are there; social and cultural issues evident in Branchton being the largest contributory cause of the situation being as it is.

The first mock-up of the first issue of the comic was ready by June 2005, taking longer than originally envisaged. The next issue to be address by the group will be the language use by the young people. As already highlighted the group is predominately male and is very indicative of the prevailing male culture within the area. Much of the original language used by the group could be viewed by some as emotive and/or offensive in many case, and over the next two weeks workers will be holding group discussions and workshops looking at the use of language and the ways in which language is tailored to suit particular audiences and purposes.

UPDATE - December 2006

The Good the Bad and the Branny 

The project has been running for approx 2 years now and in that time we have produced 2 editions of the comic and are currently working on the third.

The feedback from the 1st edition highlighted some problems : mainly that it needed an age limit. We took this on board and set an age 12 and over badge to the 2nd edition, which has now received very positive feedback.

There have been minor changes to the staff involved on the project : the artist who previously assisted with the project has now taken up employment, so Kevin Rogers, the centre manager at Branchton Community Centre, approached one of the local businesses which encourage their workforce to take part in community activities, and we now have a volunteer artist.

The comic was officially launched last year. Local dignitaries and the local press were invited along to listen to a presentation put together by and presented by the group.

Taking part in the project has allowed the group to become involved in several other activities such as promoting awareness for the project by participating in the Go for It Day run by Learn Direct. The group set up a stall with the Comic Life Software and blank templates. They then assisted anyone who wished to create a cartoon, story, or comic strip, to put it together and print out a copy to take home.

3 members of the group have become actively involved in the local youth forum and several members have been employed by the centre manager as youth workers.

One member of the group has had an article published on the YoungScot website which outlines his involvement with the comic and the Branchton Community Centre.

The group continues to be well attended and several more young people have expressed an interest in joining the group after the Christmas break.

At present the group are hard at work on follow up strips for the 3rd edition. As well as the comic strips some of the group have expressed an interest in producing articles, so watch this space.

The group has no plans to print the comic at this time but we are in the process of re-designing the website and placing the comic in PDF format to make it accessible to anyone who wishes to download it. The group have designed their web pages on paper and are now collating information to add to the site. The main focus at the moment is on web design skills so that each person has control over their own work.

Mo Quinn, Branny project tutor

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