Tees Zine Works

A bit about how we do things

Tees Zine Works ran as Tees Zine Fest from 2023, initially the idea of Miki, supported by members of Middlesbrough based Arts Organisations The Werd and Navigator North.

Joined by prolific zine-maker, filmmaker and poet Wade, Sadie from The Word and friend and collaborator Liz, in Nov 2024 Tees Zine Fest CIC was born, with the ambition to connect people (especially young people) furthest away from the cultural hubs in the area with those hubs and the organisations that make the arts work in Teesside. We found our final form as Tees Zine Works in Nov 2025 to encompass the work we do through workshops and the Zine Library as well as the regular Zine Fests.

This is how we roll.

Pillars of Tees Zine Works

1. Community
2. We promote and preserve the history of zines and zine making, their purpose and importance as part of political and social history, through our own specific guidelines on zine ethics and legacy
3. Within this we will work closely with zine libraries and archives to preserve and make available historical and more recent examples of zine making 
4. Tees Zine Works supports the development of the wider community of zine makers and encourages promotion through events and social media
5. We encourage and support creativity for those taking the first steps into creativity, with a focus on young people aged up to 25
6. We seek to develop spaces and resources which can be shared 
7. We encourage and seek connections between our communities of zine makers and the more established arts community and institutions, including other zine fest organisations, arts organisations, cultural organisations and colleges / universities
8. We will work closely with local arts, youth and community organisations to develop meaningful collaboration
9. We aim to share with and include communities who are ethnically and  culturally diverse and welcome and celebrate diverse cultures and traditions
10. We aim to provide workshops in areas which are dealing with high levels of deprivation, and where young people are furthest away from urban facilities and culture 

Creativity

• Creative freedom is vital aspect of zine making. We aim to be a place where creative expression and discussion, which is in its nature may  include discussion and imagery around sex and relationships, political, or including divisive opinions can be explored without fear of control. 
• We will make Zine Fest visitors and those attending workshops aware that some of the work may include elements of the above
• Sellers at Zine Fests will make visitors aware or talk about the content of zines which may include elements of the above 
• Within this we accept the push and pull between freedom of expression and safety and where the above encroaches on people’s safety. We will discuss and action examples of this on a case-by-case basis should there be concerns. 
• We accept the diverse nature of zine making and respect the many ways in which people are creative within this canon. We promote mutual respect and support of each-other’s work whatever the content, or however it has been produced. 

Accessibility

• Physical access – we aim to use and operate in spaces which are physically accessible for people with physical, sight and hearing needs, as well as for those with sensory needs. 
• Financial Access – we aim to make our zine events financially accessible. Living and working in an area of deprivation, this is vital especially for our younger communities. This includes tabling costs and access to free tables and resources. 
• Sellers at our zine fests will be subject to a pricing limit for items sold, to allow everyone to have access to their work. This may mean discussions about producing work in different ways, and we aim to support zine makers to do this whilst not affecting their ability to sell an item for profit.

We operate a safe space policy which includes :

• A strict policy on hate speech and behaviour which affects the wellbeing of our community. This includes homophobia, racism, transphobia, ableism and sexism. 
• Were possible we make spaces accessible both financially and Physically
• We acknowledge that many of our Zine makers and visitors may be Neurodivergent, and/or have mental health needs. In our behaviour, activity and resources, we aim to always be open and supportive.
• We will provide a quiet space at each Zine event, and a quiet period at the beginning of each event. 
• All paid staff and Freelancers working on / with Tees Zine Works will be subject to current DBS checks and training. All workers working directly with young people on a regular basis will also have undergone safeguarding training and training on diversity and managing challenging behaviour 
• We will have relevant contact details for safeguarding leads in relative areas, and keep regular contact with these leads 
• While we observe Prevent strategies and their successors, we also keep in mind where Prevent actions can cause negative outcomes and lasting harm. We will ensure any dealings with Prevent are discussed with all board members before any communication with authorities is taken.

Policies