Four tanks of fuel,
5 meat pies,
6 choc milks,
9 days,
2000km of driving,
and 10 million bugs stuck to the front of the car.
These were small prices to pay when I had the opportunity to run 4 youth workshops in the WA Wheatbelt.
In early April I visited schools and youth centres in Bruce Rock, Moora, Wagin and Toodyay. I taught around 100 young people the basics of cartooning, and each student worked on their own one-page comic story.
Students in some of the areas we visited will continue on with comics in school next term, producing longer stories about issues affecting them in their towns. Topics will include ‘bullying’ and ‘a sense of belonging’.
Many thanks to Regional Development Australia for inviting me out. It was a brilliant experience for me – much more interesting than sitting at home in my studio twiddling my thumbs – so I’m looking forward to more community-based work in the future.
James Foley 