THE PANELS & ME PROJECT
#DISCOVERUNSPOKENSTORIES
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But first… Meet PAM’s Mascot: The Inkformant
The Inkformant is an armless and mouthless ink doodle who cannot talk. Yes, he may have his limitations, but he sure has a lot of unspoken stories to tell and discover – making him the best ink doodle in the business to #DiscoverUnspokenStories with us. Ready to explain what PAM is all about, sir?
What is Panels & Me (PAM)?
PAM is a comics storytelling project with a community -driven focus. We hold comics storytelling workshops for youth (elementary school or middle school), and the goal is for each student participant to produce their own original comics story. The project cumulates with a PAM showcase event, where participants share their stories with the community. Organizers are young local people, and we typically partner with nonprofit organizations from communities to execute the project. For information on how the PAM model works, check out the ABOUT page.
How it Began
Panels & Me began when the creator of The Inkformant and founder Dawn Le developed a course for her immigrant & refugee students to build their own comics stories. What began as a fun way to teach literacy became a more meaningful discovery. Dawn saw that her students’ stories were raw, indirect insights into how they see their worlds. She wondered why comics gave them the ability to do so. After reading more about the medium, she learned that aside from the fact that comics and cartoons typically appeal to a young audience, the process of making comics did not need much structural rules. Less rules often mean more flexibility for students to explore the medium’s endless possibilities, find their own storytelling styles, and fully express themselves. As an instructor, she understood her students’ identities at a deeper level because of their stories. This has led her to the following belief:
“Youth voices are unique, compassionate, and insightful. If they received the right guidance to cultivate their voices, I believe that their self-led creations can empower them to share their perspectives and inspire their communities.” – Dawn Le
Even More of How it Began: A Cat, An Immigrant & Refugee Youth, & The Inkformant
One of Dawn’s immigrant & refugee students created a comics story about a determined cat (His favorite animals are cats). The cat dreamt of becoming a chef, but was terrible at cooking. In the end, he realized that he was a natural entrepreneur instead, so he created a YouTube channel for talented chefs to teach everyone how to cook. Dawn worked with this student for a while, so she recognized that the story was an extension of himself. Like many of her immigrant & refugee students, he came from a disadvantaged background (economic, cultural, and/or linguistic barriers), but relied on dreams for the future to overcome limitations. He was an innovator, problem-solver, and dreamer – just like the cat in his story.
The story of this cat, among many other stories from her students, have inspired Dawn’s creation of The Inkformant – a character who has his own limitations, but still continues to explore possibilities within himself and the world. In the same manner, her students’ abilities to produce meaningful stories, regardless of what their limitations are, made a powerful statement: Limitations do not limit possibilities – With only a few supplies and your own imagination, anything is possible.
“All that is needed is the desire to be heard – the will to learn – and the ability to see” – Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics
The First Panels & Me Project
After discussing the vision with Mr. Danh Nguyen, the founder of the Youth Sustainable Development (YSD) organization in Vietnam, Dawn found an opportunity to pilot the project in Saigon. Under the leadership of YSD members, Trang Luong and Tom Nguyen, PAM in Saigon officially launched during the summer of 2018. This very first project was special, because it showed PAM’s impact and potential, as well as framed the groundwork for future PAM projects. PAM’s hashtag, #DiscoverUnspokenStories for example? It was all thanks to Trang’s brilliant idea.
Take a look at PAM’s official video, featuring clips from the project in Saigon:
Video Credit: Hung Mai
For any inquires regarding the Panels & Me project, please contact Dawn directly via dawn@theinkformant.com