Ed’s Letter & Your Say

he Big Issue has changed my life,” says our cover star Adnan. “Before the magazine, I was alone. Very, very alone. Slowly, slowly, I made friends. And slowly, slowly, it made my life better.”

Adnan is talking to us from his place in Brisbane, generously taking time out in the days after severe floods devastated much of the city. Adnan is safe, his home is dry – but he is unwell, and unable to work for a few days. It’s when his Big Issue community comes into its own. “Two customers called to check on me. I like it! I don’t have my family here – all my family is in Turkey – so it feels good for me socially.”

It’s these acts of humanity, of kindness, that sustain street paper communities like ours all over the world – and the people at their very heart: vendors.

This edition, our annual Vendor Week special, is a celebration of the people who sell this magazine, and also recognises the thousands more who sell street papers like this one you’re holding in 35 countries globally. There are 110 publications that belong to the International Network of Street Papers, all helping to combat homelessness and disadvantage.

In these pages, we feature a moving series of letters penned by vendors – Assunta in Perth, Jack in Sydney, Marian in Melbourne, and David in Adelaide – who offer words of encouragement, compassion and hope to their teenage selves, and remind us all what matters most. Plus, Will from Wangaratta shares his scrumptious apple pie recipe, which is featured in his new cookbook. And we hear from vendors around the world, who share just what their magazine means to them. As Joe from Toledo Streets in Ohio says: “A street paper is a godsend. It’s a chance to get out and meet new people, a chance to make an income. It’s a lifeline…”

The Big Issue is an independent, not-for-profit magazine sold on the streets around Australia. It was created as a social enterprise 25 years ago to provide both a voice and a work opportunity for people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage. Your purchase of this magazine has directly benefited the person who sold it to you. Big Issue vendors buy each copy for $4.50 and sell it to you for $9, keeping the profits. But The Big Issue is more than a magazine.

• Our Women’s Subscription Enterprise provides employment and training for women through the sale of magazine subscriptions as well as social procurement work. • The Community Street Soccer Program promotes social inclusion and good health at weekly soccer games at 23 locations around the country. • The Vendor Support Fund will offset the cost price of products for vendors, allowing them to earn a larger margin on their own street sales. • The Big Issue Education workshops provide school, tertiary and corporate groups with insights into homelessness and disadvantage, and provide work opportunities for people experiencing marginalisation.

A friend of mine in Slovenia shared with me a copy of Kralji Ulice, their version of The Big Issue, via email. She was surprised when she recognised a story about a vendor from Slovenia in the Aussie Big Issue – she said it was an interesting parallel that we can be on opposite sides of the world.

SONJA GRDOSIC HENLEY BEACH I SA

Ed – There are more than 100 street papers like The Big Issue around the world. We featured a Vendor Tour Guide of Ljubljana back in Ed#589 – wonderful it’s made its way to Slovenia. We have bought The Big Issue for many years and always enjoyed Fiona Scott-Norman’s columns. When we moved out of the city, we could no longer buy issues from vendors in the CBD and have continued by subscribing. Because we are of an older generation – I am 90 and my sister in 86 – we don’t always understand or agree with Fiona’s comments, but we DO agree with her on the subject of chooks. Keep on keeping on – stay well and stay safe.

AUDREY DOYLE & YVONNE FORSYTH BERWICK I VIC

Sonja wins a copy of Omar Sakr’s debut novel Son of Sin. You can check out our interview with him on p32. We’d also love to hear your thoughts, feedback and suggestions: