What is CosmoTeenz ‘Life in our Garden: Anthology of Youth’?

Life in Our Garden: Anthology of Youth is a comic book created by the 2022 CosmoTeenz fellows- 5 young adults, who, when posed the question, “What do teens need right now?” decided to create a mental health comic book. CosmoTeenz is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution.

Transcript

“Life in Our Garden: Anthology of Youth is a comic book that is designed to help answer the question: How can we help young people to develop the tools, skills, and language to engage in meaningful conversations about mental well-being?

As the Stewards of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution pondered this question, they decided: who better to empower young people than other young people. Thus, the CosmoTeenz Fellowship began and Fatima, MableAlexis, Johanna, Haruka, and Tumelo Victoria began to lay the foundation for what would, ultimately, become a comic book addressing mental health as an accessible, engaging, and unique way to help teens learn to communicate about mental health.

Life in our Garden: Anthology of Youth shares the stories of the 5 young women involved in the fellowship. The stories reflect each of their unique experiences with mental health- Fatima’s story describes mental health through the metaphor of a garden, exploring the parts that have become overgrown and learning to tend to them; MableAlexis’ story focuses on overcoming fear around being your authentic self by relying on community; Johanna’s story follows a younger version of herself as she supports a friend through a crisis; Haruka’s story- inspired by her passion for science- reveals the importance of celebrating our differences; and Tumelo Victoria’s story reflects the unique challenges that young people face to navigate the online space of social media and still take care of themselves and a struggling world.

While every individual’s experience with mental health is unique, the hope is for this comic book to touch on some universal experiences and offer multiple points of entry for young people to resonate with one or all of the five stories, to see themselves and their social worlds represented, and to feel seen, heard, and validated in their own experiences.

The accompanying User Guide is designed to further enrich the reading of the comic book by offering questions for young adults to reflect on for themselves, or in conversation with other young people, or with trusted adults in their lives.

You can download a pdf of Life in our Garden: Anthology of Youth for free or purchase a hard copy at www.cosmoactivities.com/cosmoteenz. For other age groups, check out our CosmoKidz and CosmoTweenz Activities also available for free at www.cosmoactivities.com.”

Download ‘Life in Our Garden’ Here

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Life in Our Garden: Anthology of Youth

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📝 Video Script by Abbie VanMeter, with help from Kim Pearce and Marit Eikaas Haavimb
🎙 Audio and Design by Abbie VanMeter
🖌️ Graphics by Sid McCloud

📕 Comic Book Stories from Fatima Razvi, MableAlexis Jackson, Johanna Bach Dall, Haruka Suwabe, and Tumelo Victoria Eikaas
🎨 Illustrated by Sid McCloud
✏️ Written by Trent Seward

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