materials

Submitted by kid_prototype on Sun, 02/04/2007 - 3:17pm.

kid_prototype

Posts: 126
Joined: 2006-12-17

Another idea we should figure out is making zines and other materials. Nick had this cool idea of YELL and misled youth making a split zine that looked like a split 7 inch record. We could actually make it those dimensions, and you'd be able to flip it over and see a different cover on each side.
I think that would be a really eye-catching format, but the question of what content to include remains to be discussed. I think it should be something entertaining but also practical, that helps readers put the ideas we're talking about into practice.

ideas?

Sun, 02/04/2007 - 4:23pm

SWAMI

Posts: 66
Joined: 2007-01-25

Hmmmm

I think it's a really cool idea to make a zine that looks like a split 7". If we are really planning on making such an object, I suggest that the circular "disc" should only be the cover. Otherwise, every page would be losing a significant amount of writing space due to dimenions (at least in theory).

I remember reading a zine once called COMETBUS (edit). All it talked about was music and ways that youth can help one another. Obviously it's neck deep in romanticism but theoretically it can be used effectively. The content would be best organized into chapters, I guess. The chapters host different topics, including an open discussion chapter in which anyone can send us their opinion on a topic and we post it.

I also remember an area of open writing where people sent in letters to the editor about life and cool things that have happened. I think that would be a great addition to it.

I am more than willing to contribute to this idea in any way, shape, or form.

Sun, 02/04/2007 - 5:44pm

kid_prototype

Posts: 126
Joined: 2006-12-17

zine

yeah, making circular pages would be a production nightmare!
We'd need an army of people with scissors snipping frantically.

Cometbus is a really cool zine, the guy's been writing them since he was 13.

I guess for this first project we were thinking of more of a one-time informational thing to let people know about our groups and how they could get involved. And it seems you're thinking more of an ongoing publication with all kinds of content, like a classic fanzine. Both are great ideas. I think at the moment it's more strategic for misled youth and yell to put out a short informational thing we can get done in time for these workshops and conferences we've been talking about. However, that doesn't mean we can't have both. Misled Youth is set up so anyone can can start a project (such as a zine)and we as an organization will support it. So if there is enough interest in putting together a zine with things like music reviews, interviews, artwork, etc, it can happen.

I can create a new forum category just for zines if you like. In fact, we should have it set up soon so that you can start your own group (like a zine group) and have your own mini website within this site where you can work on your projects.

We started a zine project with some local kids over the summer and brainstormed a lot of ideas together. Unfortunately it never was completed. But maybe with the website as a way of people gathering and communicating, we'll be more organized this time. So I hope that was helpful. I started making zines when i was 16 and would be happy to give input, advice, and support on this project. However, I am too overwhelmed right now to be the main person making sure it gets done.

--sarah

Mon, 02/05/2007 - 3:27am

mynweb

Posts: 490
Joined: 2006-10-31

check this out...

Look - I made a group for making zines! lets start putting this site into practice. I should explain the point of having a group...

A group is like a site within a site. You can make group-only pages, forum threads, have your own event calendar, etc. This helps keep projects separated and focussed, so someone doesn't just say "lets make a zine", and then that gets buried in new posts and no one else even knows it got mentioned...

So, seeing as how this is the first group, we (the core) will bottom-line it and try to make sure it all runs smoothly. We are all sort of involved in a bunch of other things right now though, so we hope to pass the torch on pretty soon. I'm gonna stay up all night and figure out some more stuff about groups.

Mon, 02/05/2007 - 10:23pm

ti-bak

Posts: 39
Joined: 2007-01-30

Let's make it happen

I like the split 7" record design, it would be really aesthetically catchy... AHH! good stuff.
About the content.. YELl! tried to make a zine before however one of our members took all the articles home and transfered schools. He doesnt keep in touch and he has all our materials. But its ok because most of the articles were written against particular classes in our school anyway. This new zine project should be relevant to all youth.
Zines I like the most have DIY projects and skill based articles like how to sew, cook, silk screen or basic instructions to play an instrument. I always enjoy personal stories and interviews as well. A compilation of youth friendly/youth led organizations and centers would be useful. Also, I've always wanted to get a hold of a map for dumpster divers whether it be for food, clothing or furnitures. Tips on how to go about it are always helpful too. A book/music suggestion and reviews would be cool.
Well, those are just some of my ideas... I'll think of more.
This would be perfect for the tabling at the Anarchist Book Fair, that is if we have the time to make it by April. Im sure I can exploit my school's copier machines so we dont have to pay for the production.

Mon, 02/05/2007 - 11:04pm

reinstein

Posts: 11
Joined: 2007-01-30

Genius!

Oh! That's genius! The Split record idea.

Yeah it could be somewhat of a general info on both groups, resources, and mabye we could each focus on one thing? like dumpster diving and street perfomance or something. just throwing out an idea

Mon, 02/05/2007 - 11:11pm

kid_prototype

Posts: 126
Joined: 2006-12-17

alright

it sucks that guy kidnapped yr zine material...oh well, it's probably time to do something new anyway.

I like the eclectic, practical ideas for content you were suggesting. I also recognize the need for this more bare-bones informational publication to get done pretty soon. And I like that format too.

So what if the first split zine is really short and is just an intro to YELL and Misled Youth, and we can get it done by April. After that, we can keep the same look and format, but turn it into the ongoing publication with more varied content the way yr describing. If the first issues does its job of getting people's interests, there will be more people and energy to keep subsequent issues going.

One question I have is about the significance of the "split" format in the long term. Usually you'd see that as a kinda conceptual thing where two opposing ideas or points of view are being discussed. but that can be a pretty rigid format for a zine that is welcoming many kinds of content. Probably a better metaphor for our collaboration in making this zine would be a mixtape. Maybe we could do a whole music metaphor with featured artists, compilations, etc. Ooh maybe one day when we have $$ we could release zines with comp CD's included. Or have mp3's on our website or something.

--sarah

Tue, 02/13/2007 - 11:38pm

mynweb

Posts: 490
Joined: 2006-10-31

the shit split

I'm just gonna throw out some ideas for the misled youth side of the split...

1) our last info packet was focussed a lot more on institutionalization - all the personal stories were about kids experiences in abusive institutions. this time around, while we want to have a small focus on that stuff, we want the emphasis to be on positive alternatives - we want personal stories about kids successfully self-educating, and proof that there are plenty of rational methods of getting young people to be active, positive and interested in things.

2) our last info packet was chock full of slick vector images, three column layouts and fancy fonts. this time around I am questioning whether or not we should go further into slickness or recede back into DIYness, or what the ratio should be.

3) unity. last time there was no unity throughout the info packet, since they were a bunch of different articles, essays and stories from different time periods, organized to go in order of a thought process (here's the problems, here's a solution, here's how to get involved), but they didn't really flow together cohesively. I was hoping this one could be more like one big piece broken up into several key points.

that's it for now... what do you guys think?

Tue, 02/13/2007 - 11:47pm

SWAMI

Posts: 66
Joined: 2007-01-25

ok, so...

I like the idea of the unity within the zine. it definitely makes more sense to have a collected direction than a bunch of irregular stabs. As for DIY/slick, we should stick with DIY now to see how this works out. We don't want to run pockets to only have the idea fall through in some way or another. As for the topic, I feel that there can be many different facets to the zine as long as it stays within one larger overall message.

In basic, I envision this to come out as more of a DIY newspaper. I mean, why not have Sudoku and puzzles n shit in it? Everyone loves Sudoku. [not me]

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 1:55am

nick

Posts: 13
Joined: 2007-01-28

alright, let me be clear...

I've been trying to get at this for a while, but I guess their is still a little confusion.

split zine - a promotional thing for us and YELL! to put make once, photocopy many times and hand out to people as an explanation of our core values. I'm gonna sound like a communist by using this word, but it's basically a pamphlet, with some extra, real content.

zine group's zine(s) - can be a reoccurring thing, monthly, bimonthly, annually, whatever. it can have stuff related to youth rights and self-education or it can be random sudoku puzzles, comics, poetry, articles, whatever. This is the place to do a DIY newspaper.

I can see why you'd get confused, since zines usually are just whatever you want, photocopied and folded. This is a specialized zine. It's like having a zine titled "my beliefs on gay marriage" and putting puzzles and random stuff in it. I think you might understand better when we give you our old info packet, which will be whenever we have our local meeting.

I hope this post doesn't come off as sounding irritated- I'm not. It just sounds that way when I try to make a point as clear as possible.

I have more to say about the other stuff you wrote, but I need to go to sleep... I'm trying to fix my sleeping schedule.

- Nick

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 2:36am

SWAMI

Posts: 66
Joined: 2007-01-25

gotcha

so its just an info-packet, i'm down for it.

yeah, a zine, to my awareness, was more than that. but ok, it's cool.

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 11:28am

nick

Posts: 13
Joined: 2007-01-28

cool

great! Smiling zines ARE more than that. it's because we always referred to the info packet as "the zine" amongst ourselves. maybe we should call it "split-info packet"... or "splinfo-packet"

or maybe I just woke up and can't think properly.

we are still making a "classical zine" in the zine group, and puzzles can definitely make their way into that.

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 2:21pm

SWAMI

Posts: 66
Joined: 2007-01-25

that's good that we're attempting to make both. however, i feel we should get the info-packet done first, as it is crucial to the development of this group.

ya hurrrr meh? [shrug]

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 8:41pm

nick

Posts: 13
Joined: 2007-01-28

I agree

Exactly! Now we're on the same page.

So let's get started...

What I'm thinking we need first is an outline. here's what our most recent version of our old one was like:

- mission statement (2 pages)

- explanation/introduction of "Teenage Lobotomy" (3 pages)

- "Lockdown: America Treats its Troubled Youth Like Prisoners" (3 pages)

- personal stories of institutionalization (4 pages)

- "Taking Control and Taking Care of Ourselves: Mental Health and Beyond" (1 page)

- "The Sculpture Shapes the Hands: Creative Expression as a Force for Change" (2 pages, including one page that's just an image)

- "Self-Education [making our own patchworked maps]" (4 pages, one's just an image)

- "Youth Organizing and Activism" (4 pages of solid text)

- "Get Involved" (2 pages)

- "Our Website" (1 page)

This adds up to 28 pages when you add the front and back cover, which comes out to 7 sheets of legal-sized paper folded in half, front and back.

I'm thinking we should do 16 pages this time, a little more than half. My reasoning for this is it needs to be a multiple of four and I don't think 12 is enough. I'm up for suggestions and it's important to discuss this with YELL! since they would have to put together the same amount of pages, since we don't want one organization to overshadow the other.

I also want everything to be entirely new content, flowing from one point to the next.

I don't think we need a mission statement - the whole thing will serve as a mission statement. I think, at best we only need to mention teenage lobotomy, since it's something that's taken such a backseat in the past year or two and it tends to confuse people a little. basically, everything that fits into institutionalization should be one short section. I see it more as a preface to everything else I guess.

then we go into what we think about that approach, and how we think it should really be.

then we move into our three core functions (or what will be our three core functions if we ever get off the ground...) - self-education, collaborative projects and activism (learning things, doing things, changing things). Each gets it's own section.

Then we break the flow (up until this point it's all basically one piece, broken up into sections, with each one not really ending but trailing off into the next), and we go into personal stories. A number of people submitted personal stories on fucked up experiences at institutions, prisons, psych wards and stuff. I'm thinking of using only one, then juxtaposing it with a positive story of someone learning and doing something positive out of being interested rather than coerced.

Then we finish up, just like the last info packet, with get involved/our website.

it's like this:
institutionalization > what we think > self-education > collaborative projects > activism > get involved

or like this:

"A lot of people think abusing and humiliating kids will straighten them out. We think that kids are fully capable of 'straightening out' without being emotionally destroyed, if things like education, creativity and open-mindedness were as attractive as TV, money and drugs. Self-education is really cool because a, b and c. And if you liked self-education, you'll love collaborative projects. And what could be better than makinag a project out of making the world a better place? Here's an example of the fucked up approach. Now here's an example of our wonderful approach. Here's how to start doing all this stuff - blah blah blah, make an account and post on our new drupalized forums (or better yet, help us get outta the alpha project and into beta)".

And Voila! We have our old info packet, shortened, tied together properly, and ready for NCOR. Let me know if you guys think there's stuff I left out, or if my system of going from one point to the next has a kink in it.

Right now I'm questioning whether or not we should even have the personal stories since it breaks the flow and it doesn't really make any new points that we aren't gonna put into the other parts. Then again, sometimes you can explain things a million times but no one gets it until you show them a concrete example. If we do decide to use a personal story, I would want to use a positive one as well as a negative one, and unfortunately all we've got are negative ones... unless someone can contribute one...