COLLEGE UNBOUND: Tell us about your project.
LAUREN ROY: I am working on building a zine for teenage girls who have experienced sexual violence. It’s being led by me and three other women, with other outside contributors creating content for the zine. We are working to create content for 14 topics total. We want to have it distributed to children’s advocacy centers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with the larger mission of trying to reframe how we talk about sexual violence and individual trauma.
We’re working really hard to make sure the topics are relatable and are aiming for next year to have a draft out.
COLLEGE UNBOUND: How often would you publish the zine?
Right now, we’re just trying to get the first one done. But we don’t want it to be about volume or frequency. We want to make a larger impact. We want a lot of content and information. Then we can sit back and see how it’s received.
COLLEGE UNBOUND: What are the topics the zine will be tackling/shedding light on?
One topic the zine will touch on is the socialization of boys and girls, how we are raised with an assigned gender, and how that affects the way we interact with each other. Other topics we will be exploring in the zine are setting boundaries for yourself (what it means to know what you want and be able to express that) and how that can shape you as a leader, intersectional feminism, transformative justice, and how the female experience can be different based on your socioeconomic standing, race, and whether you’re cisgender or transgender.
COLLEGE UNBOUND: What are the next steps in your project?
We meet every week to discuss what topic we want to take on next. Every topic has an introduction and personal narrative. So, the next steps are to continue those meetings and get the pieces of the zine together.