Don’t Calm Down — Youth Zine Project

Red card with black distressed text saying 'DON'T CALM DOWN' placed on a light blue surface.

Produced by students from Durham Sixth Form College, Don’t Calm Down emerged from an eight-week series of anti-racist workshops in 2022 led by members of African Lives in Northern England.

Using the African Lives in Northern England booklet as a starting point, students discussed heritage, identity, and justice before developing a collective creative response.

The resulting youth-led zine was launched at the Late Shows 2022, hosted at 36 Lime Street, Newcastle showcasing young people’s voices, reflections, and artistry.

Open book with two pages showing protest art. Left page: Pink stencil text saying 'Our blood is the same' repeated twice. Right page: Red and black graphic with the text 'We are all human' in white and black letters.
Open book with two pages showing stamped words: "BREATHE" on the left page and "YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED" on the right page, with some distressed and layered printing effects.
An open book with colorful, patterned pages; one side features the word 'hope!' in large, distressed black letters on a yellow background, and the other side depicts torn paper shapes arranged in a line, with a small figure standing beneath, surrounded by a vibrant, floral, and abstract patterned backdrop.
Open booklet with two pages, featuring pink and yellow backgrounds. The left page has the words "RACISM" and "INJUSTICE" with abstract graphic designs. The right page features an image of a woman, the words "EQUAL BLOOD" and "EQUAL JUSTICE" with a collage style design.
Open book with collage art, yellow
Two mosaic-style portraits with colorful patterns, one of a woman and one of a man, with the words "CONQUER" underneath the woman and "UNITE" underneath the man. They are both labeled with the text "MILLION COAST 18-19".