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Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Zine Creation
Relationship Mapping

Zine Creation

Zine Creation is a relationship mapping exercise that helps participants build useful connections and understand how people, roles, or ideas relate.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
QuietENERGY
RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Network Design This relationship mapping exercise strengthens Network Design, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Explain what a zine is and how it’s used to communicate ideas in a creative, handmade format.
  2. Present the central theme of the activity (e.g., “Climate Change,” “My Community,” “Diversity”).
  3. Divide participants into small groups of 3-5 people.
  4. Assign each team a sheet of paper as the base for their zine.
  5. Participants cut out images, write content, and assemble the pages of their zine.
  6. Once the design is complete, teams review their work and bind the pages using staples or tape.
  7. Prepare the materials: A4 or A3 paper sheets for the zines.
  8. Set up the space: Arrange large tables where participants can work comfortably in teams.
  9. Provide an area to display the finished zines.
  10. To run the activity virtually: Use online platforms to create digital zines in collaborative teams.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Explain what a zine is and how it’s used to communicate ideas in a creative, handmade format.

Present the central theme of the activity (e.g., “Climate Change,” “My Community,” “Diversity”).

Participants cut out images, write content, and assemble the pages of their zine.

Prepare the materials: A4 or A3 paper sheets for the zines.

Set up the space: Arrange large tables where participants can work comfortably in teams.

Provide an area to display the finished zines.

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Zine Creation. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Explain what a zine is and how it’s used to communicate ideas in a creative, handmade format.; Present the central theme of the activity (e.g., “Climate Change,” “My Community,” “Diversity”).; Participants cut out images, write content, and assemble the pages of their zine.; Prepare the materials: A4 or A3 paper sheets for the zines.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with