The Cache is a multi-linear, hypertext fiction about teen pregnancy that emerged from an intense one-week youth workshop about digital media and reproductive health. Through a series of exercises, workshop leaders introduced youth to software such as Photoshop, Comic Life, Final Cut Pro, and open-source HTML and CSS editors. They used these tools to engage in storyboarding, photography, graphic design, puzzle development, voice acting, and website production. The final story was a collaborative product that reimagined and combined elements from the personal stories gathered earlier in the workshop through a word association exercise. This digital story confronted a number of themes, including teen pregnancy, contraceptive use, and life planning.

This project was my first collaboration with Melissa Gilliam with whom I now run the Game Changer Chicago Design Lab.

The Cache website.