JJ Express is a children's magazine with comics about social issues.
JJ Express uses avant-garde art to inspire youth from all backgrounds to build a movement that creates lasting change in the global community
JJ Express Magazine unofficially started as an experimental, “art project” of sister and brother team: Jenny and Jack Chen. However, their desire to create soon brought them to a much higher dream.
In the summer of 2007, Jenny and Jack’s dreams drafted in plan attained them a $1,000 grant from Youth Venture (a non-profit organization that invests in youth who are dedicated to making a difference in their community). Their plan was to create a youth magazine that showcases one of the most popular art forms today – comics and graphic novellas – to reach youth of all backgrounds and all walks of life and connect them towards a common goal – a desire to see social change.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, a girl or a boy, it doesn’t even matter if you’re a young person – everyone has something valuable to contribute to the advancement of peace and harmony in the world,” says Jenny. “In fact, young people have something that guppygalamany adults underestimate – a passion – and of course, the ability to dream big.”
“It’s our job to awaken that passion in youth and show them what they can do about it,” adds Jack.
Today, JJ Express is a one-of-a-kind, non-profit children’s magazine for children ages 9-16 years old. It revolves around a collection of comics/cartoons created by professionals and amateurs alike. These are supplemented by articles, activities, and stories that encourage youth today to explore the possibilities in the world we live in and take responsibility for the home that we will inhabit for decades to come.
In addition to our magazine, we also coordinate activities such as face-painting with youth volunteers at city events, providing cartooning workshops to locaJJExpresspowerl teens, and an electronic recycling program at Montgomery County Public Libraries. Each of these activities is one step closer to helping us achieve our mission of inspiring social change through art.
Jenny Chen is currently a junior at Colby College, and Jack Chen is a senior at Thomas S. Wootton High School.