INSP Advent Calendar: day 15

Andrea, Selene and Vicky are all Hecho en Bs As vendors and each one has her own story to tell. All three have something in common: their involvement with HBA has been a turning point in their lives. Andrea would not change HBA for anything and now wants to finish high school; Selene is a successful vendor who dreams of traveling and being a writer; and Vicky believes that there is more to selling HBA than making sales and finds strength in her faith.

Lonnie Baker is a Groundcover News vendor in Ann Arbor who is feeling positive about the future. Here, he talks about his journey from homelessness to self-sufficiency and the lessons that he has learned along the way.

Andy used to sell Big Issue North in Liverpool. This interview took place at the Marie Curie Hospice in the city in October 2017. Andy asked that it was published after his death. He passed away in March and his funeral was held in Liverpool.

Glenn Walker has been all over the place, both in his life and as a Real Change vendor. He’s lived in Denver, New York and Chicago, but he’s lived in Seattle for years. As a Real Change vendor, he gets around, too: Issaquah, Bellevue and Bainbridge Island are all on his regular route. Hanna Brooks Olsen spent a day shadowing Glenn to find out about what it’s like to be a Real Change vendor.

John is a Big Issue vendor based in Weston-super-Mare who has been a magazine vendor for a few years. Here, he talks about his love for his home of over a decade, the town of Weston-super-Mare, and discusses what life is like for him as a Big Issue vendor.

Ntombovuyo Cekiso, 29, sells The Big Issue at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. After moving to Cape Town over ten years ago, Ntombovuyo struggled to find secure employment. However, since becoming a Big Issue vendor, she has found both financial security and job satisfaction, and her life has changed for the better.

“I’m your sister and I walk with you,” says Suzanne Kilroy, as she discusses the importance of National Aboriginal Day, which is today. Here, she talks about the significance of the celebration, and the feelings of kinship with others and pride in her heritage that the day inspires in her.

Working as a L’Itinéraire vendor has put a smile back on Antoine Dereochers’s face. Here, he looks back on his past and reflects on his experiences of living without a permanent address. He also talks about his experiences as a vendor and thanks his customers for their support and encouragement.

We’re continuing with our 2018 INSP Awards announcements, and today we’re revealing the Top 10 Entries for Best Cultural Feature.

We’re delighted to announce the first set of nominees for the INSP Awards 2018 today, and we’re kicking off with the Top 10 Entries for Best News Feature.

In a piece written for the fall edition of Megaphone’s Community Journalism 101 workshop, Peter Thompson discusses his love of food. In particular, he writes about bannock – his personal favourite – and shares an anecdote about how, during his childhood, he learned how to smoke fish.

What would you do if you had lived in a country for over a decade and were then given the order to leave? For ¬Tareq Islami, this situation became a reality in late 2018 when he received a removal order from the Swiss authorities. Here, Tareq talks about the life he has built in Switzerland, and how the uncertainty of living with the threat of deportation has been lessened by the support that they have received from friends and colleagues in Basel.

No need to put out a distress call, our round-up of street paper front pages from the last month has landed.

Norma has been living in Seattle since 2010 and was introduced to Real Change by her current partner in late 2016. Here, she looks back on her life before moving to Seattle, praises the freedom that she has found by being a vendor and celebrates the resilience that has served her well since childhood.

“Thanks to Scarp de’ tenis, I am able to smile today,” says Marcello, who sells the magazine in Milan. Here, he talks about this past, the circumstances that led to him becoming homeless and his hope that, in the future, he will be able to repay the kindness that he received while homeless by helping others in need.

Holger (53) sells Hinz&Kunzt at the Isemarket in Hamburg Eppendorf. Here, he looks back on his earlier life, which was turned upside down in the 1980s when he worked at a shop selling stolen goods and was blackmailed by his physically abusive boss. The support of friends on the street led him to Hinz&Kunst 20 years ago; now, his life is full of hope – and love.