The Osborne Association's See Us, Support Us (SUSU) initiative has released the inaugural edition of Can You Hear Me?, a youth-created zine featuring writing, poetry, visual art, and personal reflections by members of the SUSU Youth Team.
Produced in collaboration with Re/Creation Creative Collective, the publication showcases the creative range of its contributors and the importance of ensuring young people with incarcerated parents have opportunities to share their perspectives.
SUSU is a national youth-led community and initiative of The Osborne Association. Its work calls attention to the experiences of children and young adults affected by parental incarceration and the support they need from families, institutions, and communities.
More Than One Story
Can You Hear Me? is not a single narrative about incarceration. It is a collection of distinct voices, creative approaches, and personal perspectives.
The inaugural edition includes artwork by Danyil, visual art and the poem MAD MUD by Marley-Moon, and a handwritten reflection by Lashea about family connection and the complexities of having an incarcerated parent. Other pages feature letters to family members, observations about identity and boundaries, and contributions shared anonymously.
These pieces express anger, love, uncertainty, ambition, and reflection without asking every contributor to tell the same story. The range of voices is precisely what gives the zine its strength.
When Young People Lead the Conversation
The zine arrives during See Us, Support Us Month 2026, when SUSU is drawing attention to access to incarcerated parents and the importance of including children in decisions that affect their family relationships.
Those decisions can involve difficult questions about communication, visitation, trust, and emotional wellbeing. SUSU's youth-led approach makes an essential point: young people are directly affected by these choices and deserve age-appropriate opportunities to express what they need.
Creative expression provides another avenue for that participation. Some young people use poems or illustrations to communicate what is hard to explain aloud; others choose personal letters or diary entries. Each form deserves to be taken seriously.
MFGP applauds The Osborne Association and Re/Creation Creative Collective, including Sunni and John of Re/Creation, for supporting the SUSU Youth Team as writers, artists, and advocates.
A Connection to My Fairy GodParents
Among the contributors is Anyé Young, the 2026 SUSU Youth Fellow, whose diary entry reflects on uncertainty, growth, and pursuing a career in acting.
Anyé is the daughter of LaDàna Young, Founder and Executive Director of My Fairy GodParents. Her childhood experiences with parental incarceration helped inspire MFGP's founding and its mission to support children and families facing similar challenges.
That connection adds personal meaning for MFGP, but the purpose of this spotlight is to celebrate the full SUSU Youth Team and the broader impact of Osborne's youth-centered work.
MFGP's For Kids Like Me storytelling and advocacy pillar shares that commitment to ensuring young people are heard as individuals, not defined solely by a parent's incarceration.
Read, Listen, and Share
The inaugural Can You Hear Me? zine is a reminder that supporting children and families affected by incarceration includes listening to young people themselves.
We invite caregivers, educators, advocates, service providers, and community leaders to read the publication in full and learn more about the initiative behind it.
Publication: See Us, Support Us Youth Team Zine, Volume 1. A collaboration between See Us, Support Us, an initiative of The Osborne Association, and Re/Creation Creative Collective.