Good things happen together.
Great partnerships can change the world – you just need a bright idea and the right people to collaborate with.
Between 2022 and 2026, ZIG/ZAG worked with all kinds of people and communities to imagine and co-create new approaches to neurodivergent empowerment. All ZIG/ZAG projects and collaborations were neurodivergent-led, non-pathologising, and non-hierarchical, and were based on the core values of curiosity, creativity, and connection.
Past projects
ZIG/ZAG/ZINES
ZIG/ZAG/ZINES was set up to create, collect, and share zines made by and for people who think differently, on subjects including neurodiversity, disability, and mental health/illness.
The ZIG/ZAG/ZINES project began in 2024, when ZIG/ZAG received funding to curate a collection of zines made by neurodivergent and disabled artists from all around the world. The collection was toured as a pop-up library, accompanied by affordable zine-making workshops.
ZIG/ZAG Peer Mentoring scheme
In partnership with Inclusion Gloucestershire and Barnwood Trust, ZIG/ZAG piloted a peer mentoring scheme for late-identified neurodivergent adults in Gloucestershire.
Throughout 2024/25, people who had recently discovered their own neurodivergence were offered free, 1-to-1 mentoring by a neurodivergent volunteer, to provide empathetic support and solidarity as they explored and reflected upon this important aspect of their identity.
Being Me Cheltenham
In 2023 ZIG/ZAG supported arts charity Can’t Sit Still to bring their pioneering creative programme for autistic girls and non-binary young people to Gloucestershire.
Being Me clubs are neurodivergent-led creative spaces, where autistic girls and non-binary young people are celebrated for being their authentic selves. The pilot for this project was first commissioned by the NHS and delivered by Can’t Sit Still in South Gloucestershire.
The geographic and demographic reach of the Being Me programme was expanded with the launch of two new clubs in Cheltenham, for young people aged 11-16 and 17-25. The ZIG/ZAG Project worked closely with Can’t Sit Still to promote the new clubs across Gloucestershire.
Thinking Differently About Diversity
This creative community engagement project was co-produced by Forestry England and Artspace Cinderford, and was facilitated and supported by ZIG/ZAG.
In a series of artist-led workshops, neurodivergent people of all ages and backgrounds from across Gloucestershire were invited to reflect on how the natural diversity of trees and forests links to their own experiences, feelings, and ideas about neurodiversity.
Images of the artwork created in the workshops were displayed in an exhibition at Westonbirt Arboretum in May 2023, as well as in an online gallery and a printed anthology.
ZIG/ZAG 