INSP are finalists in the European Social Innovation Competition

Our work in supporting street papers to update their business model for the digital age made it to the finals of the European Social Innovation Competition.

The competition was organised by the European Commission in memory of Diogo Vasconcelos (who was one of the founders of INSP street paper CAIS), with the aim of finding the best social innovation solutions to help people move into work.

Our project made it through 605 entries from 30 countries to reach the semi finals. Together with 29 other semi-finalists, we were invited to a 2-day Social Innovation Academy in Amsterdam - organised by Euclid Network, Nesta and KennisLand - to analyze our ideas and develop a business model. Following the academy we submitted revised and detailed project plan and were were selected by the competition jury as one of 10 finalists. Finalists were invited to an awards ceremony in Brussels on 29th May, where 3 winners were presented by President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso. See pictures, a press release, and a video of the awards ceremony and #diogochallenge on Twitter.

INSP interviews with famous writers republished

The Big Issue South Africa

During the Aye Write book festival in Glasgow, freelance journalists with INSP conducted interviews with writers Howard Marks, Clive Stafford Smith, Denise Mina and David Hewson.

For World Press Freedom Day, award-winning journalist Jean Rafferty wrote an article for INSP about freedom of expression where she told the stories of persecuted writers, Ragip Zarakolu, Liu Xiaobo and Lydia Cacho.

The INSP Interview with Howard Marks was republished by the Big Issue South Africa and picked up by several other street papers around the world. In the exclusive interview, Marks – an international drugs baron turned author – talked about his latest novel and his eventful life.

The interview can still be downloaded here, as well as the other interviews conducted as part of the Aye Write festival.



INSP Autoren-Interviews wiederveröffentlicht

Im Rahmen des Bücher Festivals Aye Write in Glasgow interviewten freie INSP-Journalisten Autoren wie Howard Mark, Clive Stafford Smith, Denise Mina und David Hewson.

Die preisgekrönte Journalistin Jean Rafferty verfasste außerdem einen Beitrag zum Thema Pressefreiheit, indem sie sich mit dem Schicksal von verfolgten Autoren wie Ragip Zarakolu, Liu Xiaobo und Lydia Cacho auseinandersetze.

Das INSP-Interview mit Howard Marks wurde im Big Issue South Africa veröffentlicht und von einigen weiteren Straßenzeitungen aufgegriffen. Im Interview spricht „Drogenbaron“ Marks über seinen neusten Roman und sein eigenes bewegtes Leben.

Das Interview kann immer noch hier heruntergeladen werden, genauso wie die anderen Interviews, die im Rahmen vom Aye Write Festival entstanden sind.

Story about plight of Swiss asylum seekers travels around the globe

The Big Issue Japan

In the Swiss canton of Graubünden, asylum seekers are being sent to the remote mountain village of Valzeina in the hope that, faced with a strict, monotonous regime, they will return to their homelands.

This shocking and yet moving story about the plight of the asylum seekers who have remained there in isolation for several years, and the attempts of local villagers to help them, was first published in September 2012 by the Swiss street paper Surprise.

In February of this year, the Big Issue Japan republished the story. It was also picked up by OCAS in Brazil.

Sadly, this is just one of many similar stories that have been run by our Street News Service in the recent years, as the situation for asylum seekers remains precarious in many parts of the world. The story can still be downloaded here.


Geschichte über die Notlage schweizer Asylbewerber geht um den Globus

Der Kanton Graubünden schickt abgewiesene Asylbewerber auf 1360 Meter, ins abgelegene Bergdorf Valzeina. Mit einem harten Regime soll dort ihre Rückreisebereitschaft gefördert werden.

Die schockierende und zugleich bewegende Geschichte über die missliche Lage der Asylbewerber, die dort zum Teil jahreland in Isolation ausharren, and die Versuche von Dorfbewohnern, ihnen zu helfen, wurde erstmals im September 2012 in der schweizer Straßenzeitung Surprise veröffentlicht.

Im Februar dieses Jahres druckte the Big Issue Japan den Artikel ab. Auch OCAS aus Brasilien griff die Geschichte auf.

Traurigerweise ist diese Geschichte nur eine von vielen Beispielen, die in den letzten Jahren unseren News Service erreicht haben. Die Situation für Asylbewerber ist und bleibt in vielen Teilen der Welt prekär. Der ganze Artikel kann immer noch hier heruntergeladen werden.

Street papers celebrate 50 years of Franco-German friendship

French street paper Macadam and their German counterpart Trott-War celebrated 50-years of Franco-German friendship with a special joint edition, in both French and German, which was sold on both sides of the Rhine.

The special issue marks the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty which ended centuries of rivalry between the two nations. The 60-page edition, entitled 'Discovery' (Découvertes/Entdeckungen), explores the issue of exclusion in a new light.

The special collaborative edition was launched on April 29th in the Stuttgart town hall, and was attended by the French Consul. A number of German Trott-War vendors also headed to Paris to deliver the issue to Macadam.

The collaboration was made possible thanks to the support of French and German journalists and volunteers. Former Libération Journalist Nadya Charvet lead the project on the French side and Stern reporter Rainer Nübel, on the German.

Of the €3 cover price, €2 goes directly to the vendor and €1 goes back to the parent organisation to ensure the continued publication of the paper.

Homeless CV campaign doubles street paper sales in Stockholm

After a 22% drop in sales, INSP street paper Stockholm Situation partnered up with advertising agency INGO to create a moving series of adverts, in an attempt to boost sales of their street paper during the bitter Swedish winter.

Homeless vendors were invited to write their own personal CVs which were then displayed as posters in the Stockholm Metro, accompanied by a title page which read 'It takes someone special to sell Situation Stockholm'.

The candidly honest resumes document each sellers own story; their education, work and life experience. Where there should be an address, the words 'no permanent' serve as a stark reminder of the precarious position that vendors are in and the challenge of finding work with no fixed address.

Word of the campaign spread rapidly through social media and even made the national news. Most importantly however, sales of the magazine increased by 101.5% with the December issue of the magazine selling out a week early.

Street papers republish photo essay on motherly love

The Big Issue in the North, UK

A stunning Reuters picture series highlighted motherly love through images taken from around the world. The photos included a Japanese woman picking her daughter up after her child’s first day at school, and a Tibetan mother carrying her child through a desert on her back.

Street papers on three continents republished these simple but powerful images.

The Big Issue in
the North, UK

In the USA, the picture essay was republished by Groundcover News (Michigan), Street Zine (Texas) and Streetvibes (Ohio). It was also featured in The Big Issue Korea, the British Big Issue in the North, and the German street papers Strassenkreuzer, HEMPELS and Die Jerusalëmmer.

The picture series can still be viewed and downloaded here.

Mutterliebe in Bildern

Eine außergewöhnliche Reuters-Fotoserie zeigt Mutterliebe in all ihren Facetten und überall auf der Welt. Von einer Mutter in Japan, die ihre Tochter nach ihrem ersten Schultag nach Hause begleitet, bis zu einer tibetischen Mutter, die ihr Kind auf dem Rücken durch die Wüste trägt.

Straßenzeitungen auf drei Kontinenten druckten die einfachen, aber starken Bilder ab.

In den USA wurde die Fotoserie von Groundcover News (Michigan), Street Zine (Texas) und Streetvibes (Ohio) aufgegriffen. The Big Issue Korea, die britische Big Issue in the North und die deutschen Straßenzeitungen Strassenkreuzer, HEMPELS und Die Jerusalëmmer druckten die Bilder ebenfalls.

Die Fotoserie kann immer noch hier heruntergeladen werde.

Strassenkreuzer, Germany

Strassenkreuzer, Germany

The voice of the “Colifatas” spreads to three continents

Surprise, Switzerland

The story about “La Colifata”, an Argentinian radio station that broadcasts from a clinic for mentally ill patients, was originally published by the French street paper, Macadam.

To date, the article has been translated into three languages and republished on three continents.

L'Itinéraire in Canada was as fond of the story as the Swiss street paper, Surprise. The article about mentally ill radio broadcasters, and their prominent patron, musician Manu Chao, travelled as far as Japan.

The full story can still be downloaded here.

Surprise, Switzerland

The Big Issue Japan

Die „Stimme der Irren“ verbreitet sich auf drei Kontinenten

Die Geschichte von „La Colifata“ – einer argentinischen Radiostation, die von einer Klink für psychisch Kranke aus sendet, erschien zuerst in der französischen Straßenzeitung Macadam.Inzwischen wurde sie in drei Sprachen übersetzt und auf drei Kontinenten veröffentlicht.

L'Itinéraire aus Canada war von der Geschichte genauso angetan wie die schweizer Straßenzeitung Surprise. Schließlich schaffte es der Artikel rund um die psychisch kranken Radiomacher Colifatas und ihren prominenten Paten, Musiker Manu Chao, sogar bis nach Japan.
Der gesamte Artikel steht weiterhin hier zum Download zur Verfügung.

Vendor for a day

Philadelphia street paper One Step Away allows people to step into the shoes of vendors to find out what life is really like selling street papers.

Participants in the Vendor for a Day program receive a brief training and orientation program just like vendors do. They then hit the streets with homeless vendors to help sell the paper. The experience offers participants a glimpse into what life is like as a street paper vendor. Read more.

Street paper development in the Balkans

Madeconia's 'LicevLice'

Street papers are flourishing in the Balkans, led by INSP street paper LICEULICE in Serbia. Following the launch of the street paper in 2010, Director Nikoleta Kosovac has working with local t4eams to launch Lice v Lice (Лице в лице), in Macedonia; Liceulice in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Ball' per ball' in Kosovo. The titles all mean 'face to face' in their respective languages.

All of the papers have their own editorial staff, however content and experience are shared throughout the network.

Network co-ordintor, Nikoleta Kosovac has also recently been involved in sharing her advice and experience with Greece's first street-paper, Shedia, which launched earlier this year.

Regional development between street papers is becoming increasingly common in Europe. Inspired by the UK's Big Issue - which now publishes a single title in southern Englan, Scotland and Wales, Norway's Erlik Foundation recently brought all their regional titles together under one, unified name, =Norge (Equal Norway).

fiftyfifty’s creative idea to fight exclusion

“I’m against exclusion. Homeless people are part of our society” says German President Joachim Gauck in an exclusive interview with the Berlin-based street paper, Strassenfeger. Twelve German street papers republished the interview, conducted by Strassenfeger editor, Andreas Düllick. Street paper fiftyfifty from Düsseldorf even designed badges with the Gauck quote so as to spread his anti-exclusion message. These were then distributed to over 500 vendors in Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Essen, Bonn and Frankfurt/Main. The badges publicly highlight Gauck’s appreciation for street papers and their vendors and at the same time protect people on the edge of society from arbitrary attacks by business people and the police.

The President himself is very impressed by the action of fiftyfifty: “A very nice idea” he said, and thanked the street paper for sending him some of the orange badges.




 fiftyfiftys kreative Aktion gegen Ausgrenzung

“Ich bin gegen Ausgrenzung. Zur Öffentlichkeit gehören auch Obdachlose,” sagte der deutsche Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck im Gespräch mit Andreas Düllick, Chefredakteur der Berliner Straßenzeitung Strassenfeger. 12 deutsche Straßenzeitungen druckten das exklusive Interview.  fiftyfifty aus Düsseldorf entwarf sogar Buttons mit dem Gauck-Zitat, um seine Anti-Ausgrenzungs Botschaft weiter zu verbreiten. Über 500 Verkäufer in Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Essen, Bonn und Frankfurt/Main erhielten so einen Button. Dieser soll die hohe Anerkennung des Bundespräsidenten für Obdachlose und Straßenzeitungen öffentlich zum Ausdruck bringen und Menschen am Rande der Gesellschaft vor willkürlichen Übergriffen von Geschäftsleuten und Ordnungskräften schützen.

Auch der Bundespräsident ist angetan von der fiftyfifty Aktion: „Eine schöne Idee,“ freute er sich und bedankte sich bei der Strassenzeitung für die Zusendung einiger Exemplare der orangen Buttons.

by Katrin Schmoll
edited by Amy Mackinnon