A Revolutionary Organization

You Are Here is the tentative title for a media project about communities and resources, focusing on homelessness in New York. It is an attempt to foster pride within the homeless population, build bridges between the homeless and other New York communities, and raise awareness of how people can live full lives with finiteincomes.
The core of the project is a literary magazine comprised of writings by homeless individuals. The bulk of the magazine’s works were created over the last year in a writing program at the Bowery Residents’ Committee. The program has had a core group of five BRC clients, and a number of other clients have come through and contributed as well. Other contributions come from homeless individuals who do not use the BRC’s services, but have learned about the project. The writings provide an overview of the experience of homelessness, though few of the pieces address the subject directly. Instead, the poems and essays provide glimpses of the writers’ worldviews and values, which have been shaped by their experiences on the streets.
Besides collecting poetry, short stories, and essays, the magazine will also have a resource guide primarily aimed at the homeless, but also useful to anyone seeking to enjoy inexpensive/free goods in the often prohibitively expensive New York City. The resource guide will have information on shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries, what populations they primarily serve, operating hours, and services offered. Surprising as it may sound, there is currently no definitive list of such institutions. A legal section will help readers better understand their rights, how to act during encounters with the police, and where to get legal services if necessary. The resource guide will also contain listings for free museum hours throughout the city, how to obtain free movie tickets, and experience other cultural events without cost. Wherever possible, information will be presented in graphical format or otherwise designed to accommodate non-English speakers
The magazine itself will be an example of eco-effective design, potentially printed on a non-toxic, infinitely recyclable material like Yupo, or perhaps simply pure hemp. Homelessness forces people to become conserve resources and creatively use the city’s detritus. You Are Here is an attempt to encourage that type of behavior in all people. At least some of the pages will be waterproof and printed with fold lines, indicating how users can use pages as cups, soup bowls, etc. The magazine will thus be both a resource guide, and resource itself.
Finally, the magazine launch event will be intended to introduce members of the homeless community to artist, musicians, and designers with the hope of future collaborations. The event will be organized with Hunter College’s The Shield magazine, celebrating both the launch of You Are Here and the publication of The Shield’s anthology. The event will be documented with the goals of using a short video and the magazine itself to gain funding for a sustainable, perhaps biannual, magazine.
The Hunter College Auxiliary Enterprise Board is providing $1000 towards the magazine’s production. Additional funding will be sought from a variety of green-friendly businesses and organizations. The print date is scheduled for early May with the release party soon afterwards.

The magazine will, of course, be distributed for free.

You Are Here is the tentative title for a media project about communities and resources, focusing on homelessness in New York. It is an attempt to foster pride within the homeless population, build bridges between the homeless and other New York communities, and raise awareness of how people can live full lives with finiteincomes.
The core of the project is a literary magazine comprised of writings by homeless individuals. The bulk of the magazine’s works were created over the last year in a writing program at the Bowery Residents’ Committee. The program has had a core group of five BRC clients, and a number of other clients have come through and contributed as well. Other contributions come from homeless individuals who do not use the BRC’s services, but have learned about the project. The writings provide an overview of the experience of homelessness, though few of the pieces address the subject directly. Instead, the poems and essays provide glimpses of the writers’ worldviews and values, which have been shaped by their experiences on the streets.
Besides collecting poetry, short stories, and essays, the magazine will also have a resource guide primarily aimed at the homeless, but also useful to anyone seeking to enjoy inexpensive/free goods in the often prohibitively expensive New York City. The resource guide will have information on shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries, what populations they primarily serve, operating hours, and services offered. Surprising as it may sound, there is currently no definitive list of such institutions. A legal section will help readers better understand their rights, how to act during encounters with the police, and where to get legal services if necessary. The resource guide will also contain listings for free museum hours throughout the city, how to obtain free movie tickets, and experience other cultural events without cost. Wherever possible, information will be presented in graphical format or otherwise designed to accommodate non-English speakers
The magazine itself will be an example of eco-effective design, potentially printed on a non-toxic, infinitely recyclable material like Yupo, or perhaps simply pure hemp. Homelessness forces people to become conserve resources and creatively use the city’s detritus. You Are Here is an attempt to encourage that type of behavior in all people. At least some of the pages will be waterproof and printed with fold lines, indicating how users can use pages as cups, soup bowls, etc. The magazine will thus be both a resource guide, and resource itself.
Finally, the magazine launch event will be intended to introduce members of the homeless community to artist, musicians, and designers with the hope of future collaborations. The event will be organized with Hunter College’s The Shield magazine, celebrating both the launch of You Are Here and the publication of The Shield’s anthology. The event will be documented with the goals of using a short video and the magazine itself to gain funding for a sustainable, perhaps biannual, magazine.
The Hunter College Auxiliary Enterprise Board is providing $1000 towards the magazine’s production. Additional funding will be sought from a variety of green-friendly businesses and organizations. The print date is scheduled for early May with the release party soon afterwards.

The magazine will, of course, be distributed for free.