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Ola

Ola is the story about growing up in the UK but are waiting for British citizenship. Our film and comic is based on their experiences and is helping them talk more openly about life as child migrants.

Length: 1:45

Partners: Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Credits: Asia Alfasi (Illustrator), Adam Zygadlo (Animation)

Info: Published on BBC

Webcomic ‘Ola’ is now being developed into a year-long commission. Along with our accompanying animation the stories were co-created with:

Highlights

After being covered by the BBC, and following unprecedented feedback to the platform about the story’s authenticity, Webtoons contacted PosNeg about commissioning the story to run for a year. Reader comments included:

‘I live in east london and this comic is literally relating to something one of my friends is going through and what I’ve experienced.

‘I can relate so much to Ola with having to keep family stuff on the low and desperately trying to have a normal life.’

‘I’m so happy to see a Muslim in a WEBTOON story ❤️ I never see black girls or Muslim girls in a webtoon and as a black Muslim girl it made my day’

‘Love this story – love this concept and I love that you include resources at the end of each Episode. Thank you for using art as a way to give a voice to undocumented immigrants ❤️ a story that needs more visibility’

Commissioning partner feedback 

‘We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome’

‘We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. I’m using the animation with training with lawyers…we have case studies but the comic strip conveys it in a much more emotive and accessible way and doesn’t have confidentially issue. ’ (Kids In Need of Defense representative)

Participant feedback:

‘After I read the first episode I cried, I was like, this is me.’  Let Us Learn participant)

Edutainment and formal learning compliment one another

‘In the classroom when we asked if anyone had heard of Ola, hands starting popping up, with pupils saying that it was their favourite comic and they were reading it in their spare time. It was while we were piloting the learning resources, and it made the conversation in the classroom so much richer’ (Project supervisor)

The project’s theory of change was that by creating a comic on popular youth platform, Webtoons, which pupils might come across at home, we might be able to improve conversation in classes about migration and citizenship where we were creating learning resources for teachers. 

During the pilot class pupils reported increased empathy and factual understanding about citizenship law, and where to go for support.