GRAPHIC novels are the source material for many movies these days.

But in Warrington the world of comics is now helping young people who have experienced abuse or witnessed domestic violence.

The Rage For Life has been published by Chaigeley School, which helps pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. It is the result of the Thelwall school’s work with David Taransaud, a counsellor, author and artist who has more than 15 years’ experience working with challenging youths.

As one of the first graphic novels to be used in such a way, The Rage For Life aims to be a resource to help adults make a connection with vulnerable young people thanks to a story that many at the school can relate to. The wordless comic book’s messages are instead told through imagery and metaphor to make it more accessible and to allow ‘readers’ to bring their own meaning and understanding to it.

It is about a boy called Lou who transforms into a wolf to escape his life of fear, neglect and abuse – but there is also a glimmer of hope at the end.

David, who chose the image of a wolf because of the media’s eagerness to label young people as ‘feral’, said: “It’s a little bit like a modern version of Beauty and the Beast. Because in that story the tortured creature at the end comes back as a human being.

“The spell is destroyed once he rediscovers his humanity in the gaze of a loving other.

“That’s what happens in the graphic novel when Lou meets up with a blind guy who doesn’t see the aggressive behaviour, who doesn’t see the wolf but sees the child who’s hurting inside and wants to connect and get all those things he didn’t receive in his early life. It’s also a little bit like the Incredible Hulk because he’s this very aggressive creature but deep inside you’ve got his wounded human being.

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“The interesting thing is that I’ve shown it to many adults and some of them get everything and some of them are completely lost.

“But with the kids they get it regardless of their academic levels and backgrounds.

“Soon after it was printed I showed it to a young person and he started ‘reading’ it in silence.

“He then closed the book and he just looked at me and said: ‘That’s like looking into a mirror – a black and white mirror – that’s me’.”

David met Toni Bailey, the head teacher at Chaigeley School, when he gave a talk for Engage in their Future, an association of 126 schools that work with children experiencing social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

Toni is also the chairman of Engage in their Future and seeing David’s approach totally changed his view of therapy.

The 45-year-old added: “Before that point I was really quite apprehensive about therapy. I hadn’t really met a therapist who had done much good. But then I thought this was a different way. I spoke to David a bit further and realised that his model of therapy was around keeping the child central to what their needs are.”

Toni convinced David to work at the school three days a week, initially to train two members of staff. David also helped develop rooms where the young people, aged between eight and 16, can express themselves using the likes of clay, drawing and toys.

The Rage For Life is an extension of that child-led approach.

David, 48, said: “First it’s to help adults to connect with vulnerable young people through the arts, through symbols, through the metaphor in order to help them share their own stories and fears.

“If they read a story where the character is actually experiencing feelings that are similar to those that they have experienced it’s going to be easier for the child to identify with the main character.

“Then as a result it’s going to be easier for him to identify with feelings and emotions he has repressed long ago but that still control his behaviour.

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“He’ll be able to share that in a non-shameful way, then we’ll be able to talk about it and process it.

“By looking at the book they can understand there is hope in spite of what has happened to them.

“They are not bad kids. They are not mad kids. Their behaviour is completely normal considering what they have experienced. It’s a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. We want them to realise it’s ok to talk about it with someone they trust and it’s ok to use toys, drawing, stories, movies or anything they like to process that.

“It’s to help the adults but it’s also to help the young people as well and that’s one of the reasons there are no words in it. Lots of young people don’t like to read and some are not very good at reading.

“And so by getting rid of the words it makes it accessible to all of them. Research has shown that individuals that have experienced a lot of trauma, pain, shame, fear and terror in their lives don’t have the words to verbalise what they went through.

“If you know what some of those young people have been through there are no words to explain it.

“But if you give them access to toys, stories or clay they can share aspects of their experiences by using symbolic communication. So it was also to reflect that.”

Having no words in the storyboard also created some interesting results.

David said: “Some of them have added post-it notes with speech bubbles so they’ve created their own stories. Some of them have done roleplays, some of them have just focused on one part of the story.

“There’s a kid who did a sequel to the story which was so brilliant.

“It’s where the wolf comes back but as a guide dog for the blind man so the destructive energy of the wolf has been reframed as a guide and as a carer.”

Chaigeley School has published 500 copies of The Rage For Life and all the proceeds are being donated to the Pader Orphan Caring Project in Uganda.

David travelled to a village in Kitgum in northern Uganda in 2012 to set up an art therapy department for the project which helps former child soldiers rebuild their lives.

And representatives from Chaigeley School are hoping to visit the project and raise funds for a minibus. Chaigeley School also trained 10 teachers from Warrington last year to help them deal with – and have a better understanding of – challenging behaviour.

Toni added: “We both want to spread the message that this kind of work needs to be done in as many places as possible.

“Hopefully that will improve the empathy that adults feel for young people because that gap is widening.

“I think that is getting worse mostly because of technology and how lifestyle is changing.

“Life is changing so quickly now that the lives of people born now will be totally different to the lives of teenagers today.

“I’m 45. What chance have I got to fully emphasise with a 14-year-old I’m trying to work with?

“David’s model and the book are a pathway to that.”

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Reflecting on The Rage For Life’s presentation as a comic book, David said: “Every single superhero has experienced some trauma in their childhood – and the bad guys as well.

“But the difference is with the bad guys was there was no adults in their lives to help them make sense of their trauma or help them contain or process their pain.

“Spider-Man had Aunt May, Super Man had the Kent family.

“The bad guys had nobody. The Joker had nobody, Darth Vader had nobody. We’re going to form a relationship with these young people whether it takes two weeks or two months or two years. It doesn’t matter how long it takes we’re going to build a solid relationship with these kids based on hope, trust, love, autonomy and respect.”

Toni, who has been head teacher for four years, added: “We can’t fix them. They’re never going to be ‘better’. Their experiences are their experiences especially the ones who have experienced trauma.

“That trauma will stay with them but what we can do is help them find ways of coping.”

The Rage For Life can be bought online from chaigeley.org.uk. If you want to donate to Chaigeley School’s fundraiser for a minibus for the Pader Orphan Caring Project go to crowdfunder.co.uk/minibus-for-ex-child-soldiers-in-kitgum-uganda