On Sunday, September 5, teens from the Global Co Lab Network hosted a self-publishing workshop, teaching teens from around the world how to self-publish their own works of writing. A teen member of the SDG Hubs and winner of the Teens Dream Video Competition, Grace Comeford, presented and led the workshop. Grace Comerford has published three of her own books. She is currently writing a book about climate change to educate young children about caring for their environment and to promote climate action in youth. You can learn about her and her books on her website.
At the workshop, participants learned about different options for self-publishing including formatting, distributors, target audience, and art. The workshop gave teens a basic understanding of how to publish their own books, and the decision-making involved in the process. One teen said of the workshop, “…we learned a lot from Grace and her story is inspiring. This information will help me on my book publishing journey.”
Teens at the workshop were also able to discuss a future project for the Co-Lab that many are excited about: a book about the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This book will be a collaboration between all the Hubs that every member can take part in. One teen leader said of the book, “I think that this project will be an incredible opportunity for everyone who participates in it, and I can’t wait to get started!”
The Arts Hub has volunteered to create illustrations and manage the design of the future book, and each Hub has eagerly accepted the opportunity to create a section of the book about their corresponding Sustainable Development Goal.
Grace, the teen that led the workshop said, “My favorite part of the workshop was definitely talking to people in the Q and A. Everyone had such great ideas and we were able to talk about our dreams and goals for the SDG book project. Thank you to everyone who came or anyone interested in the project!”
The teens behind this workshop really enjoyed being a part of it and are excited to get started on a bigger project that everyone can take part in. The workshop was a huge success, and we hope to hold another one in the future.
If you missed the workshop, don’t worry! You can watch a recording of it here. If you want to join our Hubs and be part of this cool activity and other efforts please email us at staff@globalcolab.net!