Speak Up’s co-founder Lana Shaw spent last week in Glasgow, Scotland, at the 20th Annual Meeting of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP). There are over 100 street papers and magazines around the world; the INSP is a UK-based charitable organization that connects, supports and networks many such papers.

Speak Up has frequently tapped into the INSP mindshare and network, but this is the first conference we have been able to attend since our launch in 2011. For this, a huge thank you is due to the INSP, who paid the airfare and conference fees for Speak Up and other grassroots magazine delegates to attend!

Lana came away from that conference inspired by the innovations and successes that our street magazine friends, in Europe, Africa and Asia, have pioneered over the last few years.

One of the key conference themes related to the vendors, the homeless or vulnerably-housed individuals who decide to become micro-business owners by selling magazines.

Below you can see a photo of “the Smart Bib” from The Big Issue in South Africa. Its unique design both simplifies cashless sales for vendors and easily communicates a series of personal messages to potential customers.We’re excited to implement similar ideas in the near future.

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