Bodo – The Street Magazine

Bodo – Das Straßenmagazin is a German street newspaper published by the non-profit association bodo e.V., based in Dortmund. Since 1994 the association has worked to support people in social distress, and the magazine itself has appeared monthly since February 1995. It is sold on the street by people affected by homelessness and poverty, who keep half of the €3.50 cover price. The editorial team and regional journalists produce a magazine that mixes social and cultural reporting with a cross-section of life in the Ruhr region. More than 100 vendors offer bodo in Dortmund, Bochum, Unna, Witten and Herne, with a monthly print run of 20,000 copies reaching more than 40,000 readers. The magazine is the best-known part of a broader social enterprise. bodo e.V. runs contact points and counselling services for homeless people in Dortmund and Bochum, including stationary and outreach support. It also operates employment and qualification projects: the charitable project 'Buch schafft bodo Stellen' sells donated books in a Dortmund bookshop, at markets and online; the association is a recognised training organisation; and a charitable service company offers house clearances, transport and disposal. The common goal is the reintegration of participants into the regular labour market. bodo sees itself as a lobby for homeless people, offering social city tours, talks and events. The association is recognised as charitable and benevolent, is a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband and belongs to the international street-paper network INSP. Its public-facing work is coordinated from Dortmund, with Tanja Walter as managing director, Bastian Pütter as editorial director and Tom Tigges handling central enquiries. The magazine remains a low-threshold employment opportunity that aims to build self-confidence and daily structure so that vendors can move back into regular work.

bodo e.V. was founded in 1994 as a non-profit association to help people in social distress in the Dortmund area. The following year, in February 1995, the association began publishing bodo – Das Straßenmagazin as a monthly street newspaper. The model was simple and has remained largely unchanged: people affected by homelessness and poverty buy copies and sell them on the street, keeping half of the €3.50 cover price. This low-threshold employment gives vendors a small income, daily structure and a public voice. Over the decades the project grew into a wider social enterprise. The association opened contact points and counselling services for homeless people in Dortmund and Bochum, combining stationary and outreach work. It added employment and qualification initiatives: a charitable book project that sells donated books in a Dortmund shop, at markets and online; a charitable service company offering house clearances, transport and disposal; and training placements. The stated aim in each case is the reintegration of participants into the regular labour market. bodo also positions itself as a lobby for homeless people, organising social city tours, talks and events. The magazine itself has become a fixture in the Ruhr region. A regional editorial team and freelance journalists produce a monthly mix of social and cultural reporting. More than 100 vendors sell bodo in Dortmund, Bochum, Unna, Witten and Herne, and the print run of 20,000 copies reaches more than 40,000 readers. The association is recognised as charitable and benevolent, is a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband and belongs to the international street-paper network INSP. In 2020 the project marked its 25th anniversary, and it continues to operate from Dortmund under managing director Tanja Walter.

• 2020

  The street magazine marks its 25th anniversary.

• 1995

  bodo – Das Straßenmagazin appears monthly for the first time in February.

• 1994

  bodo e.V. is founded as a non-profit association to help people in social distress.

A charitable street newspaper and social employment project that acts as a lobby for homeless and socially disadvantaged people in the Ruhr region.

• bodo – Das Straßenmagazin

  Monthly street newspaper sold by people affected by homelessness and poverty; €3.50 cover price, half kept by the vendor.

• Buch schafft bodo Stellen

  Charitable project selling donated books in a Dortmund bookshop, at markets and online.

• Social city tours

  Guided tours that highlight social issues in the region.

• Charitable service company

  Offers house clearances, transport and disposal services.

1. 1bodo e.V. – bodo schafft Chancenbodoev.de
2. 2Über uns – bodo e.V.bodoev.de
3. 3Bodo – Das Straßenmagazinde.wikipedia.org
4. 4Bodo - Das Strassenmagazinwikidata.org