The Big Issue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Founded by John Bird, Dave Bulldog and Gordon Roddick in September 1991, The Big Issue is a magazine in the United Kingdom that is edited by professional journalists and sold by homeless people. The Big Issue was set up as a business to give homeless people the chance to make an income. It campaigns on behalf of the homeless people. It allows homeless people to voice their views and opinions.
To become a vendor you must be homeless or vulnerably housed. However The Big Issue recognise that for many people, being housed is only the first stage in getting off the streets. Therefore if a vendor needs to continue selling the The Big Issue, they may allow them to.
Vendors buy The Big Issue for 75p and sell it for £1.50. All vendors receive training, sign a code of conduct and can be identified by badges with photos and numbers.
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[edit] Ethos
The magazine is produced by The Big Issue Co. Ltd. and is funded by paid for advertising and through sales of the paper to vendors. Financially, The Big Issue is a not-for-profit organization. It is also one of the foremost social businesses in the UK.
The Big Issue Foundation is the registered charity arm of the organisation. It aims to underpin the company's work in providing a legitimate alternative to begging by tackling the underlying causes of individual homelessness.
[edit] Issues
The magazines are written by professional journalists and aim to raise awareness of social issues as well as offering broad coverage of music and the arts, but also cover the aspects of being homeless. The Big Issue Foundation recognises the NUJ:
[edit] Overseas projects
There are also four international Big Issue projects by the same name.
- The Big Issue Australia
- The Big Issue South Africa
- The Big Issue Namibia
- The Big Issue Japan
