Note: This comic book is now available to read here!
In November 2023, Revitaled embarked on a mission to support Durham youth dealing with tough situations through the power of storytelling. Storytelling is a powerful tool that is commonly practiced by Black and Indigenous communities to reclaim and retell histories that often counter the harmful and one-sided narratives told about them in social spaces.
We wanted to use the power of storytelling to learn about the experiences of BIPOC youth in Durham to address the challenges they experience and understand what these youth need from the community to navigate them.
This is how Your Story Matters was born…
Merging the traditional formats of listening circles with modern workshop practices, Your Story Matters serves as Durham’s first creative consultatory circle. Participants were invited to share their experiences through feedback sessions and activities. Through the experiences they shared, youth created a comic book inspired by their lives, experiences, and interests. Youth, who all self-identified as Black, were encouraged to write about what they believed they needed to see happen in their community to overcome the challenges they faced. We aimed to support social development throughout this project by:
- Creating a positive environment where youth can boost their self-esteem through skills development.
- Equipping participants with sustainable tools to prevent the development of harmful behaviours.
- Encourage the development of positive relationships with peers and mentors in the program.
This project, which ran between January and February 2024, worked with several Durham youth to build their very own comic story, in collaboration with Black Sun Comics, Durham Community Health Center, BLEND Consulting, and the Region of Durham.
All youth who participated received an honorarium for each session they attended, and walked away from the project with a certificate of completion and their own hardcopy of the comic book. We finished the project with 4 unique and personal stories from Durham youth about overcoming challenges ranging from racism to self-identity.
Revitaled Reintegration Services 
Amazing work!