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Street roots
Education * Dialogue * Independence
Street papers lay foundation fo r stronger movement
BY ISRAEL BAYER
STAFF WRITER
he North American Street Newspaper
Association conference in Denver,
Colo., last week brought together 20
street newspapers from across Canada and
the U.S,
While many newspaper gatherings today
can feel more like a wake than a celebration,
the mood at the NASNA conference was
one of cautious optimism.
‘ Representatives of street newspapers, c
including Street Roots, recognize the
obstacles before us. Those obstacles include
a nasty recession/depression that is
dumping thousands of new faces on the
streets, along with the challenges of running
growing vendor programs and producing a
newspaper that appeals to our communities,
Pollard, Street Roots’ founder Bryan Pollard
Knowing that foundations have more or
and a NASNA board member, and I traveled
less devalued the idea of media playing a
to Oklahoma City to meet with the Ethics
part in reporting oh issues of poverty,
and Excellence Foundation. NASNA laid out
immigration, race, etc. (minus a small
to the foundation a humble, yet aggressive
number of foundations nationally, including
strategy to help build capacity for
the McKenzie River Gathering locally),
newspapers around North America.
street newspapers know that we can’t rely
The foundation responded.
on foundations to facilitate our future and
Street Roots hosted a face-to-face meeting
educate the masses,,
in Portland to cteate a three-year strategic
NASNA also knows
plan led by Street Roots’ Board President
that local or federal
Bruce Anderson. The plan create entailed
government programs
hiring an executive director and building
are riot lining up to
capacity that would Support both start-up
help street
and established street newspapers and
newspapers, like we
create partnerships with the International
see in Europe and in
Network of Street Papers, representing ¡100
Africa, where the "
papers around the globe.
European Union and
Shortly after die face-to-face meeting,
the United Nations
NASNA board of directors began the
are helping street
process of finding an executive director for a
newspaper grow ;
new office in Washington D.C., where SR’s
capacityand build a
-sistertijípefstidet'Se'náé
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What we do know is
that collectively we
have a readership
nearing a half million
people in 22'cities,
includirig Portland. We
know that we are
challenging stereotypes that have existed for
decades around homelessness arid poverty.
We know that in many cities, street papers
are producing every the same quality
journalism as their local counterparts — and
sometimes better. We know that by
publishing the voices of the streets and
creating economic opportunities for people
on the streets that we are changing people
lives - both those who are experiencing
homelessness and readers who have
developed relationships with our vendors.
8 So where do we go from here?
A little more than a year ago Bryan
P H O T O B Y PETER FREEZE
Street Roots
Executive Director
Israel Bayer collects
his N A S N A award
fo r best interview
fo r his conversation
with Serbian rebel
Srdja Popovic.
(Street Roots, Sept.
19,2008)
m onths a g p N A S N A Ih red A n d v F reezefroiii.
SfreetVibes in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the
first executive director the organization has
had in its 12-year history.
The first year of the strategic plan has
already been accomplished - hiring a
director, creating ah office, connecting and
begriming to work on projects with the
International Network, and broadening the
NASNA board of directors to better
repreSérit our papers in Canada arid to add a
fundraising element.
This year, NASNA will be building the
capacity needed access developing
technology that will offer support for the
wide array of papers that belong to the.
network, developing regional editorial
partnerships, and financially building the
organization in a way that it will be
sustainable in the years to come.
Currently, NASNA is gathering best
Sisters Of the Road’s Hoedown & Auction
Friday, Oct. 23
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Portland Art
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Hoedown is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and this year it’s going to
be ah extra special affair honoring all the great work Sisters has done in
2009 and celebrating our 30th birthday!
. Bring your partner and be ready to twirl to the fabulous rhusic'of Uncle
Earl and Casey Neill & The Norway Rats at the Hoedown square dance!
z To purchase your tickets to this amazing event - go to www.sistersoftheroad.org or
can Monica Beemer at 503-222-5694 ext, 19
Tickets are $85; tables of ten $850 or limited patron tables available for$1,300c
PHOTO BY STEFF SANCHEZ.
practices for vendor programs, newspapers,
volunteering and fundraising that will be
shared one-on-one and through modem
technology. We are working on building
better technology for the Street News
Service, a global news wire represeriting
papers in 36 counties in 17 different
languages, and creating a tier system that
will let us better help papers at different
levels. They include start-up papers, small
and struggling organizations, mid-level and
established organizations.
All of this came together this past
weekend in Deliver, home Of the Denver
Voice, a young monthly newspaper in the
Mile High City that has been having major
success.
Workshops included indepth looks at
vendor and editorial programs, fundraising,
technology, volunteer programs, organizing
and much more. Speakers included
Denver’s Mayor John Hickenlooper, Patty
Calhoun, founder and editor with the
Westword (P e n v e r’s weekly) and Cheri ..
Horikaia w ithtnePoor People’s Economic
Human Rights Commission. In short, the
conference was a success.
While the mood of street papers around
North America remains cautiously
optimistic, there’s also a hunger, both on
the ground with people experiencing
homelessness and editorial departments
that recognize that with the collapsing of
corporate media, street newspaper have a
responsibility to the community and a niche
to fill.
Whether you have been a long-time
supporter and reader, or you just picked up
the paper for the first time, you can be
proud (hat Street Roots is helping lead the
way, not only in our own community but
around the globe. You are a part of a .
growing movement.
Delegates to the
North American
Street Newspaper
Association 2009
Conference gather
in Denver. They
include vendors
fro m the Denver
Voice, Street Roots’
sister paper.