Established in 2007, Megaphone is a charity and social enterprise dedicated to reshaping how society understands poverty and creating opportunities for people facing barriers to participate in self-determined creative expression and meaningful work.
Each year, we train over 150 vendors experiencing poverty in Vancouver to sell our community-driven publications (Megaphone magazine, the Hope in Shadows calendar, and the Voices of the Street poetry anthology) on the street, connecting diverse neighbourhoods.
Vendors purchase publications wholesale to sell at retail prices on the street, keeping profits from each sale to meet basic needs or afford small “extras,” like healthy groceries, pet food or gifts for loved ones. With each purchase they make, they invest in themselves and their organization.
Megaphone Magazine
Megaphone’s monthly magazine is led by a peer newsroom — journalists with lived or living experience of poverty in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) — and features community journalism alongside local arts and culture coverage.
Voices of the Street
The Voices of the Street anthology is a limited edition collection of poetry and prose written by people experiencing poverty who participate in our Vendor Program or community writing workshops, including those at Onsite, a detox and treatment facility in the DTES. On sale on the street each May until sold out.
Hope in Shadows Calendar
The Hope in Shadows calendar is an annual publication produced through a photography contest engaging over 100 vendors and community members, capturing moments of hope and resilience in the face of poverty. On sale on the street each October until sold out.