Penificent has a unique approach to highlighting young people’s issues and positively influence change through comics and workshops. Penificent Publishing, address relatable issues in society in a creative way through entertainment and publishing.

The comics contain thought-provoking discussion questions directly related to each book’s topic, e.g. Mental health, Knife crime etc. The workbook comic also has activities for young people to go through during a workshop, at home with parents, carer, key workers, and teachers. These activities range from colouring up to young people creating their own stories that tackle issues of their own choice.

The comic story structure with the questions and activities promote more profound thought in young people than the average workbook or mainstream comic book. Penificent run workshops in schools with comics either in person (before Covid-19) or via zoom due to the current pandemic. They recently ran workshops with BBC Newsround, gained support from the Mayor of London, the Mayor of Southwark and also been featured in the Sunday time.

Penificent wants to connect with young people from the ages of 8-14, using characters of different ethnic backgrounds but not solely to minorities. The company is passionate about tackling issues like Knife crime but in an innovative way.

Their inspiration to create the Knifeboy comic came from real-life events, where two knife-related incidents took place minutes from where the authors live in London.

Why?

Without an organisation like Penificent, young people will be more prone to be influenced negatively from a young age, leading to making the wrong decisions that will affect their future. Penificent want to create something that young people will enjoy first and foremost to positively impact their lives, even as little as getting them to read at home.

By reading the comics, people can relate to our characters’ personalities and goals. Their aim is that young people are inspired by the messages they portray and connect to the characters’ struggles, being influenced by how the characters persevere through different obstacles.

The comic activity books provide teachers, youth workers, and our workshop facilitators with the tools to run PSHE lessons and workshops more effectively.

As creative artists and writers, they believe young people need to express their beautiful minds, intelligently and creatively. Penificent have created interactive stories enabling young people to feel more involved, motivating and inspiring them to express themselves more creatively. These comic books will be a helpful tool and solution for adults looking to connect with young people.

Latest comics:

Please find a link to our latest mental health comic