The Use of Comics to Promote a Community-based Peer-support Intervention among Young Refugees in a Camp in Greece

The article presents the creation of an informational and recruitment tool in comic form, for a psychosocial intervention program aimed at refugees as well as the process of its cultural adaptation. We aimed to culturally adopt the comic and ascertain whether the participants’ perception of the comic was in line with the illustrator’s goal. The study involved refugee communities that lived in the Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) of Samos. In order to culturally adapt the comic’s content, three mini focus groups were conducted; one for each of the languages spoken by the communities for which the comic was intended.

Thematic analysis was performed to ascertain whether the perception of the messaging by the beneficiaries was in alignment with the creator’s intentions. The pilot implementation revealed that no major changes were necessary, as the participants succeeded in discerning the intended message accurately when the comic was presented without accompanying text. Initial customization to the specific conditions of its target population, and the participation of persons with a refugee background in the initial steps of the creation process are some of the reasons that may have contributed to this outcome.