Ballarat Youth Zine Project

A “Zine” is a sole authored, self-published booklet, typically hand made and reproduced by photocopying. Considered by many to be a form of contemporary art, zines may contain a variety of writing, images, cartoons and imaginative ideas. They are all about encouraging freedom of expression.

The Ballarat Youth Zine Project was proposed by Ballarat Writers Incorporated and involved a series of free workshops offered to youth in Ballarat. A total of fourteen youth aged up to 14 years old attended workshops between May and June 2010 and seven of these participants (and the workshop co-ordinator) were able to finalise zines for printing. We encourage you to read their works.

Karl Schenk called in to Voice FM to talk about the finalised copies of all zines created in the workshops. Seven were produced by youth and one by Karl to support the efforts with explanation of the process and acknowledge the various contributions received the the community.

Brightly coloured zine displays are strategically located around Ballarat. They can be found at: That Place, The Learning Exchange (Link Up), Wendouree Community Centre, Delacombe Community Centre, The Known World Bookshop, Pot of Gold Bookshop, Rediscovery CD’s, The Bean Barn, Youth Headquarters, Ecclectic Tastes, Don Chichio’s, The Saloon, several other locations including schools and university campuses.

The following is from Karl’s Zine and is produced with his permission.

A word about some of the Ballarat Youth Zine Project sponsors:

Ballarat Writers Incorporated

This group is a loosely woven, but well organised assembly of authors, poets, journalists and people who have a genuine interest in writing. They are a not-for-profit organisation who meets at 7.30pm on the second Wednesday every month at Portico, on Mair Street in Ballarat. The agenda for the evening is to feature a local author who has achieved publication, then provide a short “open-mike” session for members to read their own work. They also organise various events throughout the calendar which focus on writing as an activity in the community. For example, last year the Southern Cross literary award, a competition held every two years for short stories of up to 5000 words, received hundreds of entries from across Australia and many international submissions. This year, on rotation with this competition, the Martha Richardson poetry prize will soon be open for submissions. Ballarat Writers also co-ordinated the “Pure Poetry” recitals in Shepparton, Castlemaine and Ballarat earlier this year. New members are always welcome, so feel free to drop in. For details on these or any writing opportunities across Victoria, log on to www.ballaratwriters.com

Lead On Ballarat

Lead On is a not-for-profit organisation who co-ordinate a variety of mentoring programs and activities for youth. The objective is to assist with the development of skills and provide networks for youth to be involved in the community. Lead On are co-ordinating an art/fashion/youth culture event on the 30th of October this year, but are always interested in expanding with new ideas. Several special interest groups, all organised and run by the youth themselves, already exist under the Lead On umbrella such as:
Get Reel – create visual media in the form of film, editing and direction
Right Click Records – record label for local bands includes access to a recording studio
Loop – writes mentorship stories for weekly publication in “The Courier”
Log On – provides web page building services for not-for-profit organisations
Drive on – volunteer mentors providing free driving lessons for disadvantaged youth
Youth Advisory Board – ensure Lead On stay relevant to youth in the community
Lauren Kirkham, their very friendly and helpful Project Officer, can be contacted on: lauren@leadon.com.au or 0417 304 782 or www.leadon.com.au

Ballarat Arts Foundation

Run by the various Rotary clubs of Ballarat, this organisations stated mission is to encourage and develop the aspirations and talents of emerging visual and performing artists who have lived, worked or studied in Ballarat. Apart from regular social events, the foundation provides opportunities to showcase local talent and has organised “Made in Ballarat 2010″ for 2010. This performance will feature singing and the Ballarat Symphony Orchestra at the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts at 2.30 on June 20th. In September to October, the “Alere” exhibition featuring Eureka Art will be featured at the Arthur Gallery. “Aspirations”, a retrospective of BAF’s 10 years of contributions to the community of Ballarat, will be held at the Gold Museum from November 10th 2010 until February 6th 2011. Ballarat Arts Foundation provides regular funding for various artistic projects in Ballarat. For details, phone 5332 4824 or go to their website www.ballaratartsfoundation.org.au