Finnish FOI comics artists
Donation protected
I want to bring two Finnish comics creators to the UK in October, and I need your help to do it.
I’m Myfanwy Nixon. I spend a lot of time drawing comics - it’s one of the things I’m most passionate about.
In my day job, I work for a charity called mySociety .
We make websites that help people in all sorts of democratic areas of life.
One of the areas we work in is freedom of information. That's another thing I'm passionate about.
Now, there can’t be many people in the world who draw comics about FOI. If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said there’s just one - me.
I drew this, which is a sketch diary showing all the people who run FOI websites around the world.
But I was wrong. There are two others who have made a comic on this subject .
I want to bring Siiri and Lauri to the UK in the week beginning 23 October, so they can talk to people who make comics, and people who care about freedom of information. That way, comics people learn more about FOI and FOI people learn more about comics. It’s win win!
I’ve already got four speaking dates lined up from venues and associations who’re really keen to hear Siiri and Lauri speaking. Now we just need £600 to cover flights and travel costs - no accommodation costs because they’ll be staying with friendly comics people. Can you donate £5 or £10 to make it happen?
You might be wondering, why should I contribute? What’s in it for me?
Well, first, if you don’t contribute, you’ll never get a chance to hear from Siiri and Lauri. If you live in Brighton, Hastings or London, you’ll be able to come and meet them in the flesh, and find out all about their project.
And then, by donating, you’ll be adding a little bit to the mutual understanding between countries - something we may well have lost since Brexit. We all need to work a bit harder to make sure that everyone, everywhere can still benefit from cultural exchanges.
We've added some small 'rewards' for those who donate over a certain amount - please see to the right of the page - and we will try to find a way to add more rewards too, so do check back. Of course, if you donate now and we add a reward that you would have been eligible for, we'll include you in it!
So that’s it. Please help me bring two Finnish comics creators to the UK.
The small print
What happens if we don't reach the funding target?
If we fall very short of the funding target, the trip won't be able to go ahead. We will refund your donation in full.
If we *almost* reach the target, we will do our best to make the trip happen on a very tight budget. We'll possibly hand a hat round at events to make up the shortfall, and we'll look into budget transport, eg less desirable flight times or carry-on baggage only, to see if we can do everything more cheaply.
What happens if we raise more than the funding target?
If we raise a little above the target, we'll spend any extra money on food and drinks for those attending the speaking events.
In the unlikely even that we raise way over target, we'll donate the surplus funds to mySociety.org, to be used for other events and projects that support FOI.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Of course, making a financial donation is the most direct way to help.
But if you can't do that, or you would like to do more, then the best thing you can do is share this campaign. Please tell your friends why it's something you think they might contribute to.
Share it on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever your favourite social network is. Broadcast it on your blog. Tell your local newspaper or radio station, if relevant.
Know a Finnish-owned business or a comic shop? They might like us to mention their name at the talks. We're also happy to discuss sponsorship - see reward levels £50 and £100.
I’m Myfanwy Nixon. I spend a lot of time drawing comics - it’s one of the things I’m most passionate about.
In my day job, I work for a charity called mySociety .
We make websites that help people in all sorts of democratic areas of life.
One of the areas we work in is freedom of information. That's another thing I'm passionate about.
Now, there can’t be many people in the world who draw comics about FOI. If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said there’s just one - me.
I drew this, which is a sketch diary showing all the people who run FOI websites around the world.
But I was wrong. There are two others who have made a comic on this subject .
I want to bring Siiri and Lauri to the UK in the week beginning 23 October, so they can talk to people who make comics, and people who care about freedom of information. That way, comics people learn more about FOI and FOI people learn more about comics. It’s win win!
I’ve already got four speaking dates lined up from venues and associations who’re really keen to hear Siiri and Lauri speaking. Now we just need £600 to cover flights and travel costs - no accommodation costs because they’ll be staying with friendly comics people. Can you donate £5 or £10 to make it happen?
You might be wondering, why should I contribute? What’s in it for me?
Well, first, if you don’t contribute, you’ll never get a chance to hear from Siiri and Lauri. If you live in Brighton, Hastings or London, you’ll be able to come and meet them in the flesh, and find out all about their project.
And then, by donating, you’ll be adding a little bit to the mutual understanding between countries - something we may well have lost since Brexit. We all need to work a bit harder to make sure that everyone, everywhere can still benefit from cultural exchanges.
We've added some small 'rewards' for those who donate over a certain amount - please see to the right of the page - and we will try to find a way to add more rewards too, so do check back. Of course, if you donate now and we add a reward that you would have been eligible for, we'll include you in it!
So that’s it. Please help me bring two Finnish comics creators to the UK.
The small print
What happens if we don't reach the funding target?
If we fall very short of the funding target, the trip won't be able to go ahead. We will refund your donation in full.
If we *almost* reach the target, we will do our best to make the trip happen on a very tight budget. We'll possibly hand a hat round at events to make up the shortfall, and we'll look into budget transport, eg less desirable flight times or carry-on baggage only, to see if we can do everything more cheaply.
What happens if we raise more than the funding target?
If we raise a little above the target, we'll spend any extra money on food and drinks for those attending the speaking events.
In the unlikely even that we raise way over target, we'll donate the surplus funds to mySociety.org, to be used for other events and projects that support FOI.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Of course, making a financial donation is the most direct way to help.
But if you can't do that, or you would like to do more, then the best thing you can do is share this campaign. Please tell your friends why it's something you think they might contribute to.
Share it on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever your favourite social network is. Broadcast it on your blog. Tell your local newspaper or radio station, if relevant.
Know a Finnish-owned business or a comic shop? They might like us to mention their name at the talks. We're also happy to discuss sponsorship - see reward levels £50 and £100.
Organizer
Myfanwy Nixon
Organizer