Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of street paper vendors – from Greece to Australia – tell us, in their own words, what a street paper is, personally to them.

‘Empowering The Poor: Street Newspapers and their Global Impact’ was panel hosted by the Society of Journalists on Wednesday 18 August. Moderated by founder of Real Change and INSP board member Tim Harris, the discussion included members of staff from INSP and its associated member publications. Watch the panel again here.

Sea, sun, fun and solidarity. Shedia’s new venture, the summer English-edition of the Greek street paper, is hitting the streets of Athens, offering – among other things – visitors a unique guide to responsible tourism in Greece.

INSP went to Athens to visit Greek street paper Shedia as all its projects have come together in the culmination of a long-gestating dream. The result is Shedia Home.

To mark the end of INSP’s 25th anniversary year, we have been asking vendors across the street paper network to write a letter to their 25-year-old self. Shedia vendors Leonidas and Maria still have a fondness for the people they were at 25.

Representing INSP at the 2019 Homeless World Cup, Tony Inglis had a day to take in as much of the tournament as possible. With a number of the national teams represented being affiliated with street papers in their respective countries, he took it upon himself to ensure that he supported them all at least once over the course of the day. It presented an intriguing match clash which happened to bring out the best in what the event has to offer – fair play, camaraderie, friendship and excellent football.

INSP caught up with two of the younger players representing their country at the 2019 Homeless World Cup. Angela Ntoumanoglou, from Greece, and Jungho Kang, from Korea, are only teenagers, and both participate in street football for different reasons, though both agree that getting to play at the tournament was a once in a lifetime experience.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, Shedia vendor Michael talks about Athens.

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. Shedia vendors Irini and Magda have contrasting reasons behind their song choices.

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.

Shedia vendors Nick and Apostolos had very different experiences in 2017. Nick was moved to write an emotional and well-received piece for the street paper, while Apostolos’ sporting skills were shown off at the Homeless World Cup.

Nikos Servos is a Shedia vendor in Athens. Here, in his own poetic style, he shares his ruminations on life and, through his stories and thoughts, boldly asserts his desire to keep on smiling and existing.

Swiss photographer Eva Borner reveals the sleeping places of homeless people in Athens – with a little help from Shedia vendor Michalis.

For today’s vendor wishes, Shedia vendors Nikos and Nikolaos embody the positive attitude of the publication as they look forward to 2017.

INSP scholarships to the Global Street Paper Summit allow emerging street papers to learn from the expertise within the network, and bring new voices to the global conversation.

Yannis Behrakis led the Reuters team that won a Pulitzer this year for its coverage of the Greek refugee crisis. “I want to be the eyes of the world in these places,” he says, “so that nobody can say, ‘I had no idea’.”

How many journalists does it take to produce one of Greece’s most trusted and successful daily newspapers? The editor of Efimerida ton Syntakton (The Journalists’ Paper) explains how his unique cooperative of over 100 journalists is thriving in Greece.

In an explosive in-depth interview with INSP, Yanis Varoufakis warns against the rise of Nazism in Europe, says Hillary Clinton “puts the fear of God” in him… and calls Trump a “vulgar beast”. And that’s before he gets started on Brexit.

This is the true story behind the Homeless World Cup viral video of the week. Stella Mavridou is a fan favourite this week at the Homeless World Cup in Glasgow. She tells us her harrowing story – and how she turned her life around through Shedia.

German vendor Achim Eybe spent an eye-opening five days selling Shedia in Athens, Greece as part of a cross-cultural street paper experiment. He reflects on the poverty he witnessed firsthand, and the difficulties faced by his Greek colleagues.

Shedia vendor Lampros Moustakis once thought Germany responsible for much of the hardships faced by his fellow Greeks. But an opportunity to sell Hempels street paper in Kiel, Germany, has changed his mind.