the day... i told my best mate
DESCRIPTION
June 09, youth innovation agency Bold Creative visit HIV charity Body and Soul and meet an extraordinary group of young people. For the next two months, animators and illustrators from Bold run a series of workshops giving the group the freedom to discuss key moments in their lives. Undertaken on the condition of keeping their identities secret, the group shape their first amazing stories in the style of a comic book. The first of its kind? Maybe...TRANSCRIPT
Body and Soul COMPLETE 21/08/09.indd 1 21/08/2009 17:15
THE DAY...I TOLD MY BEST
MATE
BOLD CREATIVE
Martin Orton and Darryl ButcherWords and Direction
Greg VillalobosWorkshop facilitation and Creative
Mathew BethnalWorkshop facilitation and Direction
Becca WisemanLetterer and Print
Ben WrightCharacter design and Illustration
Will MiltonScene planning, layout and colour
Matt SymsAdditional character design andbackground illustration
Armand GoonoAdditional colour work
Ali AssafAdaptation and planning assistance
THE DAY I TOLD MY BEST MATE...is based on real kids experiences with HIV in their own words.
Bold Comics may well read and possibly accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories or artwork revolving around comunity issues involving young people.
Published by BOLD INK Comics. Cover and compilation copyright 2009 BOLD INK Comics. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2009 Bold Creative. Visual elements including all characters, their distinctive likenesses and related elements featured in this publication are tradmarks of Bold Creative.
BOLD INK Comics is a trademark of Bold Creative. The stories, characters and incidents featured in this publication are not entirely fictional. [email protected]
BOLD INK Comics is located at:Bold Creative, 13a Boundary St, London, E2 7JE.Printed in the UK. Cube Printing.ISBN: 1-BOLD-2009-1ISBN 13: 978-3-5657-3647-6Cover illustrations and design by Will MiltonLogo design by Becca Wiseman
BODY AND SOUL
Emma ColyerFounder and Director
Sophie JonesHead of Teen Spirit
Jed MarshHead of People
Nimisha TannaHead of Programmes & Policy
OPM
Sally NevilleAssociate Fellow
Ewan KingDirector Analytical Studies
Annie HedgesAssociate Fellow
The football pitch,
lunch break...
My story is about this kid,
Who sort of, has feelings for
this girl...
...but doesn’t know how
to tell her.
I can’t
believe she
missed it.“eh, hey...”
Now he is pretty nervous, and sort
of wondering whether or not he
should try making a move...
urghh... But I
don’t know how
she is going
to react.
“hmmm...”
huh!
huh!
noooo nooo noooo.
huh!
“Hey, I’m
real sorry...”
Oh man,
pressure.
So, he goes on for a year or two just
wondering what could of happened if he
had done this or that.
And it becomes really
awkward...
so he tries to take his mind off
things but everything just kept
reminding him.
It’s almost
like everyone
in the house
was avoiding
bringing up
the subject.
He really needed someone who he
really trusted to talk to...
...So he decided to take a risk
and trust his friend.
cos although
he knew and
trusted his
friend...he
wasn’t sure
how he would
react...
It was really awkward and
there was this sense of fear...
“s’up?”
“Yes mate.
what you up to?”
“nah - park. You
up for it?”
“see you in 20.”
“I’ve got something
really important to
tell you.”
“and, it’s like, it’s
just been hanging
over me for a
while now...”“…And you know, I
trust you so much
as a friend…”
“…And it’s important
that you know, cos I
ain’t keeping secrets
from my best mate.”
“What’s up man,
tell me!”
“So, basically,
it’s like this…”
“…well, when I
was thirteen I was
diagnosed with HIV…”
...Whether
or not the
friendship
would actually
continue
beyond
that day.
There was a deadly silence.
“…and yeah,
that’s it, in a nutshell,
right there.”
“What… you’re
kiddin right?”
“No. I just need it like out
in the open you’re my best
mate and I’m hoping we can
move on from here…”
“Hold on, back up
man. You’ve got HIV!”
“yeah.”
“Is it bad?
Are you going
to die?”
“I can’t
believe it…”
“No, no – I’ll be fine if I
take my treatment. I’ve
got medication for it.”
“Jeeez man… I
can’t believe it…I’m
shocked, I dunno
what to say…”
“I need some
time out. This
is too much.”
“What… you
serious?”
“I’ll call
you…”
“Oh yeah, like
what?”
“Yeah that girl…”
“Oh man, that girl! How you gonna tell
her?! Jeez man it’s a lot.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Listen, I don’t know what to
say right now. Jeez, I ain’t heard
anything like this in my life.”
“I thought
you were going to tell me
something else.”
“You know what…
that girl!”
“I’m sorry man, I
just need to take
this all in. I just
dunno what to
think right now.”
It was a bit weird for a couple
of weeks…
…but after
a while...
they became
stronger cos
of the trust.
“S’up?”“Hey man.”
“You know, I been
thinking…” “…I really
appreciate you
telling me that
stuff.”
“So you told her
yet…?”
“Nah man, I
don’t know what
to do.”
“You know what I
think. If it’s what you
really want then you
should do it.”
“But you know,
that’s some heavy
stuff to take in
trust me.”
“I reckon, if you’re worried
that things won’t end up
how you want them to, then
just don’t. Carry on the way
you are until you want to
tell her.”
“It’s up to
you man.”
For a long time he kept on telling
himself he was going to do it… But he
kept on bottling it at the last minute.
Then when he finally decided to
meet her…
Are you passionate about
working in the
creative industry?
We’re passionate about
unlocking the true
potential in all
young people
To find out more about BODY AND SOUL visit our website at:http://www.bodyandsoulcharity.org/
Body and Soul is a unique UK charity supporting children, teenagers and families living with, or closely affected by HIV. Accessing Body and Soul is often the start of a journey, which changes the devastation of an HIV+ diagnosis into positive strategies to manage the impact of HIV.
As part of its 2009 Public Interest Research, OPM has been working with members of Teen Spirit, Body and Soul’s group for young people aged 13 and upwards on this piece of youth led research. The group has collaborated with Bold Creative and produced a personal true story with universal themes.
I Cry by Tupac
Sometimes when I’m aloneI Cry,
Cause I am on my own.The tears I cry are bitter and warm.They flow with life but take no form
I Cry because my heart is torn.I find it difficult to carry on. If I had an ear to confiding,
I would cry among my treasured friend,but who do you know that stops that long,
to help another carry on.The world moves fast and it would rather pass by.
Then to stop and see what makes one cry,so painful and sad.
And sometimes...I Cry
and no one cares about why.
Body and Soul COMPLETE 21/08/09.indd 1 21/08/2009 17:15