The Soapbox
From Sawiki
The Soapbox is fun. It creates hope, stirs the pot, highlights the inadequacies in the institution and is the voice for the people. The name is an obvious choice. A soapbox is that impromptu platform used by a self-appointed orator - the soapbox is the outlet for expressing opinions.
When it was first conceived, The Soapbox was designed to serve as a newsletter to the homeless community in Melbourne, Australia. It was looking to meet a need by the disenfranchised to create a sense of community for them - linking them to others through their news and events. Its design was chosen to represent a newspaper, to have a banner, a caption on the front page and be interesting. Several members of the homeless community were consulted on what they wanted and comedy, jokes, hope, stories all seemed the favourite choices. Therefore, satire was chosen as a theme for its appeal and ability to create hope.
The original title was The Regimental. The first Christian community to embrace the concept was the Salvation Army, and so the name was play on concepts familiar to Salvos. However, shortly after it began, the title was abandoned for the sake that the no one wanted to see the word MENTAL included in the title of a publication designed for those who are already discriminated against.
The People's Voice was chosen as the name for its appeal to the wishes of the homeless to be heard. To have their story shared with those who might join them in their journey. It was a voice for the people. Print volume was always subject to the donations of the few volunteers who were creating the publication each month. It was decided in May 2005, to run a comedy ad on the back page seeking anyone with the means to make a $12 donation and have The People's Voice posted to them for a year - a profit of $4. Thirteen people responded, allowing the print volume to increase.
In March 2006, The People's Voice committee decided to change its title based on the volume of other publications around the world with the same, or very similar names. By this stage, 11 months after first appealing for subscribers, over 200 people in 4 countries were receiving the monthly publication and it seemed important not to have issues of confusion surrounding the title.
The Soapbox seems to have its work cut out already. There is no end of interest in it and its mission. The Soapbox is the only newspaper in the world written for the homeless community. Approximately 16 new subscribers have joined every month, but that average grows as the number grows. People love satire. People want to find a solution to suffering and help other people. The Soapbox wants to join these people together and create a place where their ideas, stories and concepts push the boundaries of society.
While the Regimental and People's Voice were initiatives fostered by The Salvation Army and published within their organisation, The Soapbox embraces the challenge of moving beyond its founding parameters and using its own voice unaided, thereby being able to serve a larger community of people around the world.
The future will be an exciting one for the Soapbox and its readers, without any support from The Salvation Army from which it stemmed. It is the aim of The Soapbox to continue building new inroads into the lives of the Lost, the Last and the Least in all areas of society. For as long as satire transcends all social and politicly preferences, its voice will continue to grow.
