Droppin' the Flag

This comic book from the Healthy Aboriginal Network (HAN) seeks to help integrate gang youth back into their communities. Gary, a young gang member who has just been arrested for selling crack cocaine decides to keep an appointment with Walter, a counsellor at the Youth Outreach Programme. A former gang member himself, Walter encourages Gary to tell his story and to begin exploring other options for his life.

The HAN tested the draft story visually with incarcerated gang youth, using a video, which can be seen on HAN's YouTube channel. There is also an explicit language version, using street language for reaching the intended audience, a strategy linked to what they called "street cred". While testing the story with incarcerated gang youth, they said, "Don't change a thing. That's the  way it is."