Giorgio arrived in Italy from Ethiopia in 1997 in search of work. Life became increasingly hard after the 2008 financial crisis, and Giorgio became homeless in 2015. A few years later he started working as a Scarp de’ tenis vendor, which he continued to do until 2022. Then came the breakthrough: a permanent work contract, offered to Giorgio when he was 65.

Scarp de’ tenis vendor Giorgio: “The street paper helped me to believe in myself”

Two street papers in close proximity to each other – 20er in North Tyrol (Austria) and zebra. in South Tyrol (Italy) – have collaborated with students at a local university to produce a co-branded 2023 calendar for vendors to sell. The calendar was launched a special pop-up exhibition at the beginning of November. It will be sold for €6 euros by zebra. and 20er vendors over the next two months.

North and South Tyrol street papers collaborate on 2023 calendar

The street paper zebra. is located in South Tyrol, a region in northern Italy close to the border with Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The project is uniquely placed, not only because it is published in two languages – German and Italian – but also because its cohort of vendors is made up people from ten different countries and four continents, many of whom have ended up in the region having fled from a situation of poverty, war or persecution. Ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June, zebra.’s social work team – Alessio Giordano, Patrizia Insam, Francesca Parisi and Niklas Klinge – explain how the organisation has found itself in the centre of the refugee crisis and how the street paper’s assistance can be life changing for the people who pass through it.

Northern Italian street paper zebra. on the journey and bureaucracy faced by refugees, and how street papers can help them through it

 vendor Paul Nosaghare Igbeque. Credit: Anna Mayr.

Street papers have found themselves increasingly to be at the centre of the refugee crisis. Higher numbers of people selling street papers across different parts of the world have fled from their home countries due to poverty, persecution and conflict. Not only do street papers have the ability to platform their voices and stories, but they also offer a stable income when a place in the mainstream job market may seem out of reach. Their support beyond simply selling the magazine – assisting in applying for documentation and permits, looking for a new place to live, and language classes – means a pathway to integration into what is sometimes a new and unfamiliar society. Ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June, INSP and its member street papers are helping some refugees – who now work selling street papers – to tell their story.

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Scarp de’ tenis vendor Giorgio: “The street paper helped me to believe in myself”

North and South Tyrol street papers collaborate on 2023 calendar

Northern Italian street paper zebra. on the journey and bureaucracy faced by refugees, and how street papers can help them through it

As the refugee crisis worsens, street papers offer a path to stability and a hopeful future