Community Zine Maker Open Call

As part of our Story of the Changing Community Research micro-commissions, we are seeking to commission a Zine Maker to gather, synthesise, and creatively share the collective learning that emerge from our three Community Researchers who are researching and practicing Crisis Planning. A Zine Maker will play a key role in the Community Research Project by bringing together the findings, reflections, and ideas generated by Community Researchers.

Applications are now open and close on the 14th of December at midnight!

This is our first time running a project like this, if you have any feedback or want to alert us to ways it can be more accessible, please email us at storyofthechanging@gmail.com.

What is the role?

This is a short-term, paid commission, suitable for someone who enjoys gathering collective insights, creative storytelling, community collaboration and making information accessible through visual design.

The Zine Maker will:

• Attend an online meeting to meet the three Community Researchers and hear their ideas and findings

• Attend an in-person event on 6th of March, during which the Community Researchers will present their final plans and the community will have the opportunity to provide feedback 

• Capture the learnings from the Community Researchers and collective wisdom shared by the community during open discussion on the event on 6th of March;

• Create and design an accessible zine or booklet that communicates the researcher’s findings and community wisdom in an engaging and inclusive way; 

• Have the autonomy to organise your own time between January and April to develop the work and create the zine

• Collaborate with the Story Of team to finalise the content for print and digital distribution

Who can be a Zine Maker? Who are we looking for?

We are seeking someone to help us bring a Crisis Planning Zine to life, built from the learnings of our three Crisis Planning Community Researchers and the shared wisdom of our community. 

You don’t need prior zine-making experience to apply. We think anyone can be a Zine Maker, and we hope this opportunity enables people who might not usually work in the arts or publishing to also apply.

If you are creative; have an eye for visual communication; design skills either digital or handmade; are community minded; have familiarity with tools like Canva, Risograph, InDesign, hand drawing, or collage, and can help us to bring this zine to life - you might be just who we are looking for! We would love to hear from you whether you are an experienced zine maker or not!

We will prioritise applications from people whose identities are marginalised in the UK. This could include, but is not limited to: 

• Black and people of colour

• Global Majority people which includes Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people

• Migrants, people with Refugee status or people with Asylum Seeker status

• English second/ third language

• People of marginalised faith communities and/or religions

• Someone who is struggling financially now or who comes from a lineage of working class people

• Queer, trans, intersex, non-binary folks

• Disabled people and neurodivergent people

• People whose identities are under threat by the state, systems and media

Necessary criteria of applicants for Zine Maker:

• You are 18 or older

• You are based in York or the surrounding areas (up to 20 miles)

• You have experience or interest in creative publishing, zine making, visual communication, or community documentation

• You enjoy working collaboratively with communities and grassroots researchers

• You can communicate complex and emotional topics in clear and accessible ways

• You would be happy for the zine to be shared publicly online and in print

• You have lived experience of marginalisation, or you are sensitive to the experiences of those who do

• You are available between January and April

• You can attend both: the online meeting on the 20th of February (6 - 7:30 pm) and the in person event on 6th of March

• You are able to create the Crisis Planning zine and share it with the team by Friday 10th of April to receive feedback on any amends that need to be done 

• Deliver 100 copies of the zine final version printed and folded, and one digital scanned PDF version by 24th on April

Why are we doing this? 

We believe that the current educational systems aren’t equipping marginalised folks with the tools we need to navigate this world and move towards collective liberation, and community-led research, combined with creative storytelling, can be a powerful way to drive social change.

Along with this commission for a Zine Maker we are commissioning three Community Researchers to develop crisis plans. Their learnings will be shared in various ways during our first Community Wisdom Hub event in March. 

Our intention is to capture the insights from this short research and practice period in a zine format, presenting the collective wisdom of the project in an accessible and creative way. We believe the zine will share these insights in an engaging format with a wider audience, enabling people in York and beyond to print it, draw inspiration from it, and use it as a practical tool for creating and applying crisis plans.

This commission is an opportunity to translate community wisdom into creative form.

You can read more about our Commission for the Community Researchers through this link here.

Money exchange

The commission for the Zine Maker is for £400 that will cover your time for attending the two meetings and events, and creating an accessible zine that will convey the outcomes of the researchers' learnings. We are aiming for a zine format that can be distributed in print and digitally. 

Payment can be received by:

• Bank transfer - you can claim your invoice from our online banking service (fiscally hosted by Social Change Nest) 

• Vouchers 

You do not need to be part of an organisation, or group to apply. You can request money into a personal bank account. 

What is the selection process?

We are going to select one person to be our Zine Maker. The applications will be reviewed by the Story Of core team and the final decisions will be based on these points: 

• Whether the applicant meets the required criteria

• Preference for applicants with lived experience of marginalisation, or those who demonstrate sensitivity to the experiences of marginalised communities

• Ability to bring the zine to life, based on the applicant’s skills and creative approach. Please provide examples of your creative work that demonstrate the skills you would bring to the zine making process. You can share a website, social media showcasing your work, or photos of your creations and past projects

There will not be an interview. You will be emailed on the 19th of December by a member of the core team to let you know if you have been selected or not. 

If you have any problems uploading your photos or links, please do contact us.

How to apply 

Once you have checked you meet the eligibility criteria, use the link above to fill out the application form. The form may take you anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes. 

The initial questions are about whether you meet the criteria and how you identify. 

The key questions on the application form are: 

• If you do have experience in zine making, please tell us about it. How long have you been involved in it, and in what capacity? Professionally, as a hobby? 

• If you don’t have experience as a zine maker, tell us about the skills you have that you would use to create a zine. In what capacity have you used these skills? Professionally, as a hobby, or as something you’d like to explore further through this project? 

• For those who need it, additional funding is available to cover materials required to create your zine, such as drawing pens; paper; cutting tools; access to a digital subscription to create your work. This list is not exhaustive, so please let us know if you need any resources and what they are and we will analyse our capacity to accommodate your request.

• Please provide examples of your creative work that demonstrate the skills you would bring to the zine making process. It can be video or photos of your creations and past projects. *If you have a link for a website or social media showcasing your work please add it to the next question. *You will have the chance to upload your images

• Do you need support with writing in English?

Timeline for selection and milestones - Zine Maker

**Some of these dates may change to meet the needs of the Community Researchers and in case of unforeseen events. 

20th November: Applications Open

14th December at midnight: Applications Close

19th December: Selected and unselected applicants communicated via email

Week 2nd - 6th of February (date to be arranged individually): Check in with the Story Of team (optional means - voice note, online, call, email)

20th February, 6 - 7:30 pm: Attend the online meeting with the other researchers, the zine maker and the Story Of team to share your process and ideas

1st of March: Share your Crisis Planning with the Story of team 

6th March: Share your experience and learnings at the Community Wisdom Hub: Share the outcome of your research based on your learning and practice to a community session (in person)

10th April: Present your design template for the Crisis Planning Zine to the Story Of team for feedback or amends if necessary 

24th April : Finish 100 copies of the final version printed and folded, and one digital scanned PDF version.

**If you cannot make these dates please still apply, as we can be flexible with some of them.