Three young boys’ summer in the Paris suburbs
Like forty percent of French people, Hyppolite, Wali, and Ib are not going on holiday. In the summer, they stay in their neighbourhood, Saint-Denis, north of Paris. They tell @streetpress how they spend their days away from the sandy beaches. @streetpress is a Sphera Network member and this story is part of our “Rural” series.
Turning Mafia lands into social and agricultural cooperatives
In South Italy, the social cooperative “Al di là dei sogni” (“Beyond Dreams”) was founded on land confiscated from the powerful Camorra Mafia. People now work the land, grow fruits and vegetables for the cooperative’s restaurants and live here. @vdnews_ita met Simmaco Perillo and Sergio Lazzaro, two members of the cooperative who are trying to […]
In Poland, local media outlets fight for independent journalism
Press freedom is under attack in many countries. In Poland, independent local media outlets are increasingly having to compete with media outlets funded by local authorities. Journalists from Gazeta Radomszczańska fight every day to provide reliable, high-quality local news to residents of the Radomsko region. @KrytykaPolitycznaTV went to their editorial office and met their team. […]
In Poland, an organisation offers time to put phones away and (really) connect
In a world where most European societies are struggling with information overload, screen addiction and digital fatigue, more and more initiatives are looking for alternatives. One of these is the “Można Zwariować” Foundation, a Polish organisation that proposes concrete, therapeutic activities to support healthy and conscious contact with technology. Every month, events are organised under […]
Beyond the Glitter: When Drag Gets Political
One day in Brussels, a group of drag queens, queer artists – but above all, friends – came together to create something new: Propaganda, not your average drag show. Born out of the post-Soviet space, the Balkans, and other places where LGBTQI+ rights are under threat, they chose to talk about their stories, their roots. […]
In Spain, two men are using technology to fight depopulation
“Depopulation is a reality, and its inhabitants are aging, forgotten amid global laws far removed from the needs of small people living in small places.” These are the words of Alberto Crespo, an artist and professor at the Soria School of Art. He creates artistic projects using technological tools. His aim: to showcase the problem […]
In Italy, the woman that used to promote Amazon now protests against it
In 2022, Marisandra Lizzi wrote a letter to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She decided to stop the collaboration deal with Amazon; her PR agency had helped the company gain ground in Italy. The pandemic influenced her decision, by opening Lizzi’s eyes to Amazon’s negative impact on the world. In an interview with @vdnews_ita journalists, she […]
Bringing the stories of “madres protectoras” to the stage
In 2019, four mothers were arrested for kidnapping their children. They were part of the organisation “Infancia Libre” (Free Childhood) and claimed that all they had done was protect their children, who reported being sexually abused by their fathers. Nine months later, the prosecutor’s office closed the case. Many cases that follow a common pattern: […]
Afro-Greek rapper Negros Tou Moria uncovers hidden layers of Athens
Negros Tou Moria is an Afro-Greek rapper living in Athens. In his songs and through his lyrics he tells the story of his life as the son of African immigrants, facing injustice, racism and discrimination, his experience of making it as a musician of colour in Greece. Our partner @streetpress went into the streets of […]
In Orbán’s Hungary, students continue to protect their rights
Otilia is a young students of Rajk College for Advanced Studies in Budapest. She is also part of The Tanítanék Movement (I would like to teach), founded in 2016 as a result of an open letter on the crisis of public education published by the board of the Herman Ottó High School in Miskolc. Since […]
