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City St George’s partnered with the Women’s Interfaith Network and Artizine UK to explore faith in a creative way

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How do we ‘keep faith’ in what matters to us?

That was the big question explored in a creative zine workshop hosted at City St George’s this month.

Participants of the workshop were guided by Ioana Simion of community arts organisation Artizine UK to explore how they keep faith in what matters to them through the medium of zine-making.

Zines

Zines are small, self-published booklets that have long been used for personal expression, activism, and sharing untold stories. With their roots in sci-fi, feminist, activist and punk communities, zines can be artworks, acts of documentation, or educational resources.

In the workshop, the theme of faith was discussed in the context of activism, the future, particular causes and beliefs and explored through art-making and storytelling.

A selection of zines were on display during the workshop

Keeping Faith

Staff and students attended the workshop, organised by the University’s Chaplaincy team, the Office for Institutional Equity and Inclusion and the Women’s Interfaith Network (WIN).

WIN is a charity that aims to build a better, more inclusive society through promoting friendship and embracing difference.

On the success of the workshop, Coordinating Chaplain Reverend Ian Worsfold said:

"Students and staff were able to come together to think about ‘keeping faith’ in today’s world and to generate gentle conversation around difference in a relaxed and creative space.

In a university as diverse as City St George’s, it is important to create opportunities like this to meet and understand each other in safe and inclusive environments.

Coordinating Chaplain Reverend Ian Worsfold said the workshop was a good opportunity for staff and students to connect

A spokesperson for WIN said:

“We believe that interfaith is a conversation for everyone: for people of all faiths and none, all ages, and all genders. Over the past year, as we've marked our 20th anniversary, we’ve been bringing new voices into the interfaith conversation, exploring the many ways we all 'keep faith’ in our daily lives.

“Our creative partnership with Artizine UK and the University’s Chaplaincy and OIEI teams used the accessible, hands-on practice of zine-making to explore what ‘keeping faith’ means to the City St George’s community and to cultivate a warm, reflective space on campus.

“We hope this session marked the beginning of an ongoing conversation- one that welcomes everyone, whether you’re a person of faith or simply seeking a space to decompress, reflect, and create.”

The power of zine-making

Ioana Simion is a workshop facilitator and educator who shared her love of zine-making with staff and students. She said:

Zine-making is a powerful tool for self-expression because it allows people to explore complex ideas in a way that feels personal, creative, and free from rules.

Zines can be a powerful tool, said Ioana

Describing the session, she commented:

“It was incredible to see participants reflect on this in so many different ways- from writing affirmations to collaging symbols of resilience.

The beauty of zines is that they create space for multiple voices and interpretations, making them a perfect medium for exploring themes that are deeply personal yet universally relevant.

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