This was such a fun project to do.
JoinTheRez.com is the companion website to a science fiction podcast and comic which aims to help pre-teens build emotional resilence and mental well being.
The Rez is set in a future where happiness is just another download. The story, created by current UK Comic Book laureate Hannah Berry, along with some of the UK’s leading young adult (YA) dramatists and illustrators, includes supportive themes and messages based on research by the University of Sussex’s CRESS Lab (Children’s Relationships, Emotions and Social Skills), led by Professor Robin Banerjee, Professor of Kindness at the University of Sussex (nope, we didn't know that was a thing either!) .
The comic is being distributed to schools across the UK, while the podcast is being distributed by GenZ media and PRX.
ITV did a nice feature on the project which you can view on their website.
The website enables young people to interact with the characters from the comic. They can listen to messages from the characters and other children and even record their own messages.
There are games and activities related to the story as well as information about the characters as well as an in built podcast player and comic reader. There's also a section for teachers and grown ups which provides lesson plans and resources.
Oh and there are a LOT of fart noises.