Luc Lenoir is 59 years old and sells L’Itinéraire from his pitch at the corner of De Maisonneuve and Saint-Denis Streets in Montréal, Québec. He is a L’Itinéraire pioneer: Luc has been involved with the magazine since the mid-90s and was one of the organizers of its launch. He credits the magazine with helping him to forge meaningful relationships with others and providing him with independence.

Megaphone celebrates the festive season by profiling a few of their hard-working vendors, who pass along a message to their valued customers.

This year we asked vendors: if you could give a song as a present this Christmas, what would you choose? The result was the INSP Vendor Playlist, which is now available for your listening pleasure. Megaphone vendors talk about the songs they selected.

This year we asked vendors: if you could give a song as a present this Christmas, what would you choose? The result was the INSP Vendor Playlist, which is now available for your listening pleasure. A handful of L’Itinéraire vendors talk about their particularly festive choices for the #VendorPlaylist.

A mom of two kids and two cats, Julie “Jewel” Chapman would take everyone under her wing for protection if she could. Her altruistic activism fuels her work within the Downtown Eastside community of Vancouver, where she is a support worker for sex workers and those struggling with addiction. Despite some people’s negative attitude towards the DTES, Jewel feels that her neighbourhood is a wonderful community full of hope.

When we hear from vendors, it is usually to learn more about their experiences with homelessness and how working as a street paper seller has helped them. But vendors do all sorts of outstanding, inspiring things that we might not know about. Gerald “Spike” Peachey aims to use all of his experiences from the streets to help build a city where everyone can live their best lives by running for councillor in Vancouver’s civic election later this month. He sets out the reasons why the people in his district should vote for him.

37-year-old Mélanie Noël sells L’Itinéraire from her pitch at the Verdun metro station in Montreal, Quebec. Here, she looks back on a childhood spent moving from home to home and her troubled relationship with her sister, while affirming how positive her time as a L’Itinéraire vendor has been. She loves her work and has found strength through relationships forged with friends and mentors.

“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.

Readers of L’Itinéraire might not be familiar with the name Mario Alberto Reyes Zamora; however, they are more than likely to be familiar with his photography, which is regularly featured in the magazine. L’Itinéraire finds out more about Mario’s background, his work as a photographer and his recent move into subsidised housing.

This month, Canadian street paper Megaphone, which is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, but has stretched its patch to include Victoria, turned 10 years old. In this retrospective piece, individuals involved with the street paper, from founding members, to editors, to vendors, look back on the magazine’s decade long life so far.

Vancouver vendor Priscillia Tait took the winning cover photo of the 2018 Hope in Shadows calendar. Here, she talks about the setting she chose for the photograph, as well as her family, growing up in an Indigenous community and her experience of homelessness.

In honour of #VendorWeek 2018, Megaphone vendor James Witwicki and L’Itinéraire vendor Yvon Massicotte had a ‘face-to-face’ interview to swap experiences of how both wound up selling street papers.

Ahead of this year’s #VendorWeek celebration, Canadian street paper Megaphone announced their Vendor of the Year – Craig Baron (who was also recently featured in our Vendor Moments series). Here, he tells us about his life and what it’s like being a Megaphone vendor. Celebrating our vendors is what #VendorWeek is all about.

To celebrate #VendorWeek 2018, The Big Issue Australia took an in depth look at the ways street papers around the world are creating extra employment opportunities for the people who need them most. And what better way to learn about them than from the people who are employed by and benefit from them. Social enterprises featured in the article come from these INSP members: The Big Issue Australia, =Oslo, The Curbside Chronicle, Shedia and L’Itinéraire.

Today, North American street papers will join in with the #VendorWeek celebrations by hosting selling events, some for the first time. This #VendorWeek tradition is a chance for those unfamiliar with the street paper movement to understand better what street paper vendors do.

Vendors from Vancouver, Canada street paper Megaphone share with us their thoughts on the past year, as well as what it’s like working as a street paper vendor around Christmas time.

As 2017 draws to a close, we asked vendors across the global street paper network to look back on the highs and lows of their year and reveal their hopes and aspirations for the next one. First up is Jean-Claude, a L’Itinéraire vendor.

Richard Gerrard has been selling street papers for almost a decade and has benefited greatly from being a vendor. In his spare time, he revels in the outdoors and exercises his artistic eye through photography.

Simon first ended up on the street at the age of 16, where crime and drug use got him into trouble with the law. He eventually found stability and started a family, before the death of his father led to another downward spiral. Now he sells L’Itinéraire, and says it probably saved his life.

Our special vendor wishes series continues with a heart-warming message and festive greetings from Jean-Guy in Canada.

Megaphone vendor Mark Irvine says at 65 his new life goal is ‘learning how to live’, after a troubled past involving problems with drugs and alcohol, and time in prison.

Norah Winnifred Parlett was a spy in WWII, and a the main breadwinner for her five kids. Her son, Megaphone vendor Bob, talks about their complicated history and the love they share.

In a challenging and revealing interview with Megaphone vendors, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps pledges to balance the voices of homeless people with property developers – and discloses her favourite way to relax.

Canadian vendor Jo assesses how a lack of sex education affected her life choices. And are younger generations really better educated or just more exposed?

L’Itinéraire vendor Jo believes Canada’s controversial prostitution bill “isn’t suited to the reality of sex work” and hopes more sex workers can “find the courage to speak out and share their point of view.”

“After seven years of being homeless, I can see firsthand why everything is a mess – which inspired me to write this article.” Megaphone vendor Ron McGrath invites us all to solve homelessness together.