Megaphone

If you didn't already know Vancouver has a street paper. That is a newspaper sold by vendors who are either homeless or who have in the past been homeless.

It's very much like the Big Issue model, made famous by the UK paper founded in part by John Bird.

I had the good fortune to do a work placement at the Big Issue some years ago when Matthew Collin was the editor and Gibby Zobel was one of the lead news writers. It was a great time. I already had experience advocating for the homeless having done street outreach work for the Simon Community in London.

Here in Vancouver, having worked at a night shelter for the homeless and also being a resident of Strathcona/Gastown/Downtown Eastside - call it what you want I'm pretty in tune to what's going on.

Reading Megaphone helps though a lot in that process. Only a street paper can do that. Grassroots journalism. If you are not already a subscriber I urge you to become one.

Megaphone not only contains information from people living on the street but also good solid articles.

You can't say fairer than that, can you!

Happy Christmas