A Season for Reflection
Creativity took center stage as Andre Moore led handmade zine-making workshops based on simple collaging and book assembly approaches for elementary and middle school youth at The Alley Project. The sessions, part of PoTAP’s workshop series, aim to foster imagination, community, and self-reflection among participants.
The two-part workshop kicked off with a basic introduction to several self-published zines and more popular magazines with Moore encouraging participants to explore nature-based themes and otherwise infusing creativity into their ideas.
Throughout the sessions, students delved into hands-on activities with scissors, glue, and staples, as well as collaging to turn their concepts into tangible expressions. Participants learned about what is possible through bookmaking while giving them a finished product they can write, draw, or otherwise create in.
Reflective Practice
Reflecting on the transition from summer to fall, Moore highlighted the importance of incorporating reflective practices like journaling and zine making. He believes these activities empower young people to gain a fuller understanding of themselves, recognizing patterns in their growth and development.
Moore emphasized the importance of not just creating a product but understanding the cognitive function of imagining and building ideas, “After the summer's over everyone kind of naturally hits that reflective space, especially in the Midwest, you know, as we are approaching the colder months. It is an open door for them to creatively express and also work on cognitive functions of being able to imagine, you know, certain things, and bring them directly into a tangible space… So I thought it was really important to incorporate something that allows for reflection, natural reflection.“
The workshops offer a glimpse into the power of hands-on learning and open the door to the transformative potential of storytelling for young minds.