New mentorship program aims to support marginalized communities

By HILARY ANGUS and RICK GOODE

Megaphone Magazine has launched a winter fundraising campaign to support what it says is one of its most successful initiatives.

The street magazine, which focuses on the Downtown Eastside and features original stories about marginalized and underrepresented communities, is seeking to raise $50,000 to fund mentorships for its vendor program.

The magazine is sold on the street by people experiencing job or housing insecurity.
In 2023 Megaphone launched a mentorship program to introduce peer-to-peer support for their vendors. The program has added more than 75 vendors since its launch in May 2023.

“It can be intimidating to try to get out there and sell a print magazine to people on the street,” said Paula Carlson, Megaphone’s editorial and program director.

Many of the Megaphone vendors face a host of personal challenges including persistent social isolation, Carlson said, so the mentorship program offers them a low-barrier opportunity to connect with the community, develop their skills, and earn an income.

Megaphone vendors are independent contractors who buy the magazines from the organization for 75 cents and sell them for a minimum of $2, keeping the profits for themselves. Megaphone also operates the Hope in Shadows calendar, which vendors buy for $10 and sell for $20.

In the mentorship program, new vendors shadow veteran vendors, learning skills and gaining confidence before they begin selling on their own. Both mentors and new vendors are paid $20 an hour for training shifts, in addition to any profits they make in sales.

David Deocera, who has been a Megaphone vendor since 2012, and a mentor since the program started in 2023, said the mentorship program gives new vendors, many of whom lack experience in engaging with the public, confidence to feel like they can do the job as well.

“The mentors are there to be their guide, to be their cheerleaders, to be their comrades in arms for this game,” he said.

Deocera said the extra income from the program helps to buy basics like milk and bread and “a Vietnamese pho soup every once in a while.”

Devon Tremain, Megaphone’s employment program coordinator, said the mentorship program has been successful in providing peer-to-peer support for new vendors.

“I’m really honoured to be a part of this program, to see people come in, and be inspired, and have that support,” said Tremain.

Many people who were new to the program have now begun mentoring others and taking on larger roles in the community, said Tremain.

“A lot of them face crippling social anxiety, but through the mentorship program, they’ve allowed themselves to be challenged, and leaned into that,” Tremain said.