Community Resilience Zine

In the context of a Grand Challenge Seminar, Dietrich College of Humanities & Social Sciences first-year students merged Hispanic and German Studies to address resilience and creativity challenges through graphic novels and collaborative storytelling. To explore how resilience could be a catalyst for change in Pittsburgh communities, CMU students partnered with high school students in the LEAP program. 

LEAP is an educational partnership between CMU and City Charter High School that teaches under-resourced high school students about social change through storytelling in the arts and humanities. Students in the LEAP cohort visit CMU’s campus regularly throughout the academic year, learning with and from members of the CMU community who use their expertise to create positive change. The 2022-2023 LEAP Cohort expressed interest in learning how peers roughly their age engage with the idea of being changemakers. 

In April 2023 students in the Grand Challenge Seminar and students in the LEAP Cohort gathered together for a collaborative, zine-making workshop. Guided by guest experts, Jill Chisnell of the University Libraries and Sheika Lugtu of the School of Art, students engaged with one another through discussion and the creative process. Facilitated discussions lead CMU and LEAP students to craft together zine pages on the impact of resilience in their communities.