INSP is a global nonprofit membership organization based in Glasgow, Scotland. CEO Mike Findlay and Sarah Britz, Chair of the INSP Board of Directors, worked together to create this elaborate biannual gathering. The conference unites and supports street papers addressing poverty and homelessness.
Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), along with the Social Hub hotel, hosted this special four-day event. GCU, located on Cowcaddens Road, catered a tasty lunch every day of the conference. The Social Hub is a classy hotel with a flair of chic modernization; their continental breakfast was a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet. Yes, the Scottish food is different. No, I did not try the haggis or black pudding!
Monday 31 August, the first day of the activities, included a trip to the Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre. The artist, Eduard Bersudsky, is a man with creativity and design. A short story was told during the presentation of each piece of artwork. His artworks are made out of wood and steel that was discarded as trash. They are very interesting works of art that light up and have moving parts.
That evening was our welcome event, hosted at Glasgow’s Civic House. This magnificent piece of history started life as a Civic Press in the 1920s. It now hosts a dynamic range of activities, from co-working festivals to workshops.
On Tuesday 1 September, I participated on a panel titled “Opening up Journalism to Marginalized People”. I answered three questions:
- What training can you put in place to support lived experience voices to be heard through the street paper movement?
You can help to create a writing and storytelling workshop or a photography and video workshop.
- How can you use special editions to do this?
By giving a dedicated platform written and illustrated by the participants.
- How can you remove barriers, giving over more space to lived experienced voices in the regular street paper?
Add extra printing space ensuring a platform.
After the conference that day, we were free to sight-see; however, it was rainy, cool and dark. I chose to rest.
Wednesday covered ways to keep the street papers alive with all the digital technology competition. The solution I support is to inform and educate the next generation on the importance of a tangible document.
Later that evening, we met at the astonishing 300-year-old piping heritage museum, The National Piping Centre, for a formal dinner and whisky tasting, accompanied by a live band, The Tenementals. The rich history of the museum was breathtaking and the band was astounding.
Thursday, the last day of the conference, we learned ways to upcycle old street papers. Everyone was excited to learn how to create art from recycled papers, a process that I hope we can implement here.
The best was saved for last: the award ceremony. Showcased at the Social Hub, it was a true testament of the dedicated vendors and contributors whose work has not been unnoticed by the INSP. This ceremony was a great gesture of recognition. Yes, Groundcover was nominated for Best Vendor Support Program; however, we lost to a very worthy candidate, Apropos, from Salzburg, Austria.
At the end of the week, the takeaway of the conference was an understanding that teamwork and perseverance can launch a street paper. However, only readers can keep it in circulation.
