On March 9th, 2024, a group of 18 interdisciplinary research partners, faculty, students and members of intersectional community activist groups came together at the FEELed Lab for the workshop “Moving Through Dissonance: Making-sharing-healing Workshop for Global Justice”. Together, we made zines, shared a meal, and collaborated on posters, postcards and other materials to distribute in the wider community.
This workshop was born out of the observation that many of us, community members, academics and activists alike, sense a disconnect between our daily work and the many injustices of the world which permeate our lives in different ways – from destructive pipelines being built through unceded Wet’suwet’en and Secwépemc Lands, to Israel’s violent settler occupation of Palestine, and beyond. Such disconnect can immobilize us in despair and hopelessness and isolate us from one another, weakening our ability to grapple with very real and very pressing social issues collectively. Still, there is reconnection, hope, and power to be found in spaces of collaboration, community work, and relationship-building.
A participant’s feedback sums up what seems to be a shared experience among those who attended the workshop: “The workshop was an exceptional experience that beautifully fostered a sense of welcome, care, and community. From the very beginning, as we stood in a circle sharing our stories as students, staff, and faculty, it was clear that we were part of a collective journey through significant global changes and challenges, particularly highlighted by the situation in Gaza. The hands-on art-making and rich conversations, coupled with a warm and delicious meal, not only provided a comforting sense of solidarity but also a platform for healing and release. This culminated in our collective action to attend a downtown rally, making the cold day feel warmer and brighter. The workshop became a vessel for transforming pent-up frustration into something healing and shared, an experience that will stay with me for a long time.
In the spirit of this workshop, it only seemed intuitive to document some of the observations from the workshop in a zine (below). Wondering what a Zine is? ZineWiki has great resources around zines: “A zine – derived from magazine – is an independently- or self-published booklet, often created by a single person.” During our workshop, the zines were made collaboratively: while everyone started their ‘own’ zine title page, the zines were then passed around so we could add to, reflect on, and respond to each others’ prompts and questions on subsequent pages. This was a surprisingly effective way to build community among people who mostly did not already know each other.
As one participant remarked, “I found the speed zine activity to be incredible. It felt like I was able to freely express my feelings around grief, anger but also share words of hope and love all through a couple pages shared with others.”
The following pages give an – even though only fragmented – insight into the workshop and reflect some of the moments that for me personally were the most memorable. These include small bits from conversations and comments made by collaborators throughout the day as well as the care (for the topic and each other) reflected in the dynamic flow of the workshop and the interactions especially during the shared lunch and crafting afterwards.
Asked about take-away’s from the workshop, one participant said: “My biggest takeaway from the workshop is the powerful sense of solidarity and shared purpose that emerged from our collective experience. Before attending, I felt isolated and silenced, weighed down by pain, rage, and loneliness. The workshop, however, offered a space where care, liberation, and a vision for a just world, emphasizing the protection of land, water, and lives, were central themes. This experience transformed my feelings of isolation into a deep connection with others who share my concerns, significantly altering my perspective on collective action and community support. Most importantly, I made rad new friends!”
Another participant summarized their experience in the following way: “My biggest takeaway was that people from all walks of life, with their own sets of struggles and privileges can come together to care, love and fight for liberation. Even though it was just around 20 of us, I learned so much about activism and work that everyone was doing within their own communities and also Palestine! I was able to connect with people and learn more about their works and even get some invitations into future events so I can continue learning to be an active member in the global community for liberation.”
The zines, posters and postcards from this workshop will be published and distributed across our communities soon. We would like to thank UBCO’s Community Service Learning as well as UBC’s Centre for Climate Justice for financially enabling this workshop as well as the replication and distribution of materials. Thank you to the FEELed Lab for hosting us and Falafel Bite for nourishing our bodies and minds.
The FEELed lab 