The Big Issue Hits Taiwan · Global Voices
Mr.<PERSON>, who sells the first issue of The Big Issue Taiwan Edition. Photo Courtesy of AmberTaipei
The Big Issue , first published in UK 20 years ago, is now rolling out its Traditional Chinese monthly edition in Taiwan on 1st of April. This is a unique publishing project which relies on homeless people to sell the street magazine and hence helps them to have a legitimate job. The homeless can earn 50 TWD (around half of the price) for each magazine they sold. You can read more about its origin and development on Wikipedia .
Taiwan is the 9th country that publishes The Big Issue. <PERSON>), the founder of Roodo Blog , introduces this model to Taiwan with a hope to develop a new type of social business. One month before publishing the first issue, bigissue.tw started its Facebook fan page to recruit volunteers. So far it has 27,000 fans already. 871
Many Taiwanese bloggers are invited to write for the first issue, including Kenworker , famous travel blogger, and soundfury , noted writer and music critic.
<PERSON> is excited about the arrival of The Big Issue to Taiwan:
Big issue 登陸台灣，對我個人是個振奮的消息，除了驚訝台灣亦步亦趨吸收英國的社福觀點外，作法上也漸漸同步了起來。這份街友才能販賣的雜誌，在英國發行已經超過20年，雜誌賣點除了內容之外，附加價值在於，提供人們幫助弱勢的管道，但與捐款不同的是，讓弱勢族群也肩負自力更生的責任。
The arrival of The Big Issue to Taiwan is an exciting news to me. I am surprised that Taiwan is not just taking up perspectives but also methodologies of British social welfare. This sold-only-by-homeless-people magazine has been publishing in UK for more than 20 years. Besides its content, it provides a way for citizens to help minorities. But different from donation, the model lets minorities to take responsibility and live on their own.
siligraphy19 says :
… 請大家告訴大家這本雜誌的消息,轉貼我的部落格文也可以. 如果在捷運站出口處,看到穿著The Big Issue制服的街友或志工, 請停下腳步, 購買一本100元的雜誌, 作為對社會企業雜誌最直接的支持. 省下一杯星巴克的錢, 獲得的不只是閱讀的樂趣, 也幫助街友或社會弱勢的人們, 透過販售雜誌的工作機會, 賺取收入, 重建信心,重新取回生活主導權。
…Please tell everyone about this magazine, or you can just repost my article. If you see homeless people or volunteers in The Big Issue uniform around MRT stations, please stop and buy the 100 TWD magazine for showing your direct support to the social business. 368