Sensiting workshop / part time job / program for students. Most of them lost a part-time jobs becouse of corona pandemic, also most of them loose a chance to travel for erasmus programmes etc. So we decided to open Novy Prostor newly not just to those, who are in need, but also for students, who want to make sam part-time money and help our vendors.
There were a few conditions – students had to sign the same agreement about the Kodex (rules of selling the magazine) and minimum time to sell is one week.
Process:
-students can choose an experienced vendor as a mentor, who guide them thru first days of selling
-for every magazine student sell, Novy Prostor gives extra 5 CZK to fellow experienced vendor
-so student can actually really make some part-time job money and help other
-there is also a important point: to show, that selling street paper is no shame and everyone, who is affected by a loss of incomes becouse of pandemic, can join novy prostor and it´s vendors
– during the week, we did a short questionary interview with students, following their impressions and remarks, of how it is to make money by selling paper and how does it feel like to be in need in the eyes of everyone
-it is a great way how to blur a line between vendors and readers, challenging stereotypes and showing, that selling the magazine is a fair job
STUDENTS LOCAL ACTION
DATE: 1/8 to 10/8 2020
WHO: Students Kateřina, Anežka and Monika
All students were selling for a week in hot mid-summer center of prague around old town square, they didnt plan to have it as a part time job, all of them took it as a chance to experience something different and also help Novy Prostor.
As they had to follow the same rules as NP vendors, they had to be on their selling pitchs right on time and all the given hours. Also they had to vear NP vendors red vests and were wearing NP IDs with pictures.
All together, they´ve sold 450 magazines and after a week full of very intense experience, redaction meet all of them to a more then hour long interview and sharing for NP readers. In the end, only Kateřina was able to sell the whole week, other girls decided to stop after few days.
Some of the most intense moments from the discussion:
Monika: „All the time, i was strugggling with this unpleasant feeling, that i am taking a job from someone, who needs it more then me“.
Kateřina: „It was so strange, when i took the vest, how people started to ignore me. It was like i am invisible.“
Daniela: „I was selling on the old-town square not far from one restaurant, where the owner liked me and he was sending me all his guests to buy a magazine from me.“
Monika: „I´ve earned 1350 CZK in a three days and i gave it all to vendors fund in Nový Prostor.“
Anežka: „After this experience, my respect to NP vendors is even bigger. It´s so challenging, not just mentally, but also physically exhausting.“
Monika: „It gave me a solid feeling of a self-confidence. And a belief, that there is some safety net and maybe when i will loose a job and a rent, i can go to Novy Prostor and sell the magazine.“
Report and interview with students was published in NP564, out on 8/10, printed in circulation 14000 copies.
