Voices. As I survey the completed draft of this issue you’re about to read, it’s hard to pick a highlight because there are so many diverse voices within. Like previous issues, this magazine captures the stories, struggles and hope of a variety of individuals. But this time around, we’ve made an effort to step back and allow the unique rhythms of each subject’s voice to show through. This is the first issue that features writing from people who have lived (or still live) on the streets. They were brave and gracious enough to give us glimpses into their lives and hearts–and they do it with humility, honesty and hope.
Empowerment is the other theme in this issue. In the following pages you’ll encounter a crowdfunding website that helps low-income people meet their goals, read strategies for “non-toxic” outreach, listen in on innovative ideas for micro-businesses that employ the homeless and more.
Not surprisingly, these two themes also happen to be the two main reasons people come to Speak Up for help: to tell their story and to be empowered.
One of the self-sharpening questions we ask ourselves is, “What’s the biggest barrier to change in someone’s life?” Everyone has a different story and a different set of needs, but one of the most common answers to that question is: how you see yourself. The biggest barrier to change is how you see yourself.
Many of the clients in our vendor program come for the first time with a hopeless perspective of who they are and what they can do. They see themselves as beggars, without options. Sadly those beliefs are often reinforced by the charity of others who treat them as dependents.
We want them to flip those mindsets. Becoming magazine vendors, or microbusiness owners, is the start of that shift. “I love Speak Up magazine because it allows me to do something productive again; I feel good about myself,” said one participant. In the space of just a few days, they go from being beggars to vendors, from jobless to having money in the pocket, from subservient to self-sufficient.
Thank you for buying this magazine. You’ve helped give someone a job. Thank you for reading. You’ve helped give them a voice.