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International Network of Street Newspapers

The International Network of Street Newspapers (INSP) is an alliance of “social businesses” that aims to bring together and facilitate communication between street newspapers sold by homeless and unemployed people throughout the world. Based in Glasgow, United Kingdom, the INSP has a membership of almost fifty publications, with member papers in twenty-seven countries internationally, and a combined annual circulation of about 26 million copies worldwide. Operating on the philosophy that all profits produced by the sale of street papers should be used to provide social support for the homeless and unemployed, the INSP works to ensure that such people have the potential to earn an income and develop a positive outlook that will help them successfully merge into society.

The INSP is run by a secretariat, but a board comprising three member paper representatives is responsible for making executive decisions on behalf of the other members. The INSP holds an annual conference every year, organized by the secretariat, where members exchange information and ideas about their publications. Outside guest speakers are also invited to come and share their ideas and experiences. The goal of the conference is to provide a place where INSP members and other outside experts on poverty and homelessness can interact and communicate regarding important issues.

In its charter, the INSP lists seven main goals it seeks to achieve in order to be successful: (1) to help socially excluded people help themselves by providing them with means of earning an income and facilitating their reintegration into society through social support; (2) to use all post-investment profits to finance support for street paper vendors, the socially excluded, or social business; (3) to provide vendors with a choice in the media and campaigning on behalf of the socially excluded; (4) to create quality street papers that vendors are proud to sell and the public is happy to buy; (5) to exert social responsibility in business in terms of editorial, staff, vendor, and environmental policies—discouraging excessive spending on professional staff, with money instead being targeted toward vendor and vendor support; (6) to support prospective street papers that share a common philosophy and intend to sign the street paper charter; (7) to ensure that no charter paper shall enter the established area of an existing charter member. The INSP operates with these goals in mind and aims to provide the rights they detail to every one of its member publications.

Projects

The INSP takes part in numerous projects outside of street paper publication, and information on several of its most notable projects follows:

  • Straatnieuws is a street paper based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, that not only provides a means of communication between socially excluded people, but also organizes tours of the city led by vendor guides and provides opportunities for former homeless employees to give presentations in schools and other institutions. Sponsored by the Fund for Social Integration, the Straatnieuws project serves three main functions—to offer support to homeless people in giving public presentations, to provide training for homeless people in presenting and using multimedia, and to develop educational programs about homelessness for schools.
  • Novy Prostor is a weekly publication that was started in Prague in 1999. Originally published once a month, Novy Prostor is now published weekly due to its increased popularity, and about 15,000 copies are sold every week in almost every major city in the Czech Republic. Novy Prostorprovides a kind of literary community where homeless and formerly homeless people can remain in contact with others as they progress into full-time employment and obtain their own homes. Novy Prostor's online counterpart, 1street, provides virtual homes for the homeless under the motto, “Helping People Get On With Their Lives.”
  • The Homeless World Cup is an international function organized by the INSP and other international service agencies that was held in 2003 in Graz, Austria. International soccer teams and worldrenowned players participated, and the tournament provided a place to inform a wider group of people about the issues surrounding homelessness.
  • The Big Issue Namibia is a monthly street magazine that went into publication in 2002. The magazine aims to increase awareness of the unemployment epidemic in Namibia—60 percent of Namibians live below the poverty line—and address related issues. The Big Issues Namibia is sold primarily on the streets of Windhoek, Namibia, by homeless and long-term unemployed adults.

The INSP provides support to socially excluded members of society by publicizing and promoting street newspapers, as well as organizing informational conferences and publicity projects. As a non-profit organization, the INSP acquires the majority of its funding through membership fees, street paper sales, grants, and donations, and puts this funding directly toward achieving the goals stated in its charter. More information on INSP membership and links to related organizations are available on the INSP website at http://www.street-papers.com.

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