Valedores of the world: Report of activities of the Global Street Paper Summit in Milan

From September 12 to 16 of this year, a Valedora meeting of international scale took place within the limits of the metropolitan area of Milan, Italy. It was the Global Street Paper Summit organized by the International Network of Street Papers, known by its acronym INSP; an event dedicated to live stories from the streets of the world.

24 countries, represented by 48 street publications, joined forces on this occasion to think about and address the destitution, precariousness, poverty and marginalization that afflict each of their contexts.

Arturo Soto attended on behalf of Mi Valedor Magazine, participating in various exchanges and working groups aimed at finding new and better solutions to the current challenges faced by street newspapers in Mexico and the world.

A new outlook

One of the various resolution activities was focused on identifying new ways in which vendors can be supported, especially in a digital era such as ours, for which various solutions were thought of on the guideline of greater dissemination and information literacy, given that the physical format of magazines can be threatened by a variety of contingencies, one of which we have already experienced with the various consequences unleashed by the pandemic. Among others, Latin American newspaper colleagues Juliana Valentim, editor of Traços magazine from Brazil; Arturo Soto, director of Mi Valedor and Américo Gadpen, director of Hecho en Buenos Aires.

In the same vein, the economic resources available to each initiative were substantially reduced due to the withdrawal of several sponsorships as of Covid-19. Strategies had to be devised to maintain the relevance and constant activity of each newspaper, both as a publication and as a community center.

On the other hand, the importance of looking after the mental health of the beneficiaries in each instance was brought up, in balance with the goals of community improvement and social impact of each association. A combination designed for the mutual benefit of all partners.

Displaced

All street newspapers, insofar as they work with populations in situations of extreme marginalization and precariousness in each country, at some point face the problem of migrants. In recent years, several street newspapers have been challenged by populations outside their countries of origin. According to an INSP estimate, close to 100 million people around the world have been displaced from their homes. Based on this global situation, the projects brought together voices to discuss ways in which this process can be accompanied, supporting the mobility of many. This conversation was accompanied by the United Nations Refugee Agency. Mi Valedor has also managed a variety of cases for Central American migrants, and like the other newspapers, we seek to understand the nuances and complexities of the migrant experience while providing them with a dignified and steady source of income.

More projects, fresh ideas

Throughout the summit, many ideas emerged that were not only inspiring to other organizations, but also highly creative and innovative in the field of social change through creative and cultural activity. These projects have emerged as offshoots of the street newspapers and represent the ongoing efforts of volunteers and organizers to continue to generate ideas with measurable, positive, social impact in the service of the beneficiaries.

Curbside Chronicle is the publication of Oklahoma City, who presented Curbside Flowers, which instructs its beneficiaries in the craft of flower arranging, while at the same time contributing to their income.

On the other side of the ocean we have the Greek project Sheida, which produced its first edition in Braille and represents the first street magazine of its kind.

Culture at the service of the margins

The reflections and collaborations possible in this event took place under the sponsorship of the local magazine @scarpdetenis, always thinking about how to grow our networks of participants and ensuring that marginality does not exclude people from instances of creation.

The next Global Street Paper Summit will be in Portland in 2024.

INSP Awards 2022.

This year we are very proud to be nominated for an award at the INSP Awards 2022. Our first nomination is for best cover and we are participating with issue #31 “Valedores del mundo. unite!”. For Mi Valedor it means a lot to be among these finalists and inspires us to keep working every day.