{"id":60735,"date":"2018-01-06T04:15:23","date_gmt":"2018-01-06T09:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/invisible-edinburgh-life-changing-scheme-helps-homeless-people-find-their-feet-as-tour-guides\/"},"modified":"2018-01-06T04:15:23","modified_gmt":"2018-01-06T09:15:23","slug":"invisible-edinburgh-life-changing-scheme-helps-homeless-people-find-their-feet-as-tour-guides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/invisible-edinburgh-life-changing-scheme-helps-homeless-people-find-their-feet-as-tour-guides\/","title":{"rendered":"Invisible Edinburgh: Life-Changing Scheme Helps Homeless People Find Their Feet As Tour Guides"},"content":{"rendered":"

Invisible Edinburgh: Life-Changing Scheme Helps Homeless People Find Their Feet As Tour Guides<\/b>
\nSick of seeing people struggling on the streets and not being able to do much about it, Zakia Moulaoui launched Invisible Edinburgh, which trains homeless people to become tour guides in the city.<\/p>\n

The idea came about after Zakia worked briefly in Athens, Greece, and stumbled across a similar scheme run by the country\u2019s version of The Big Issue.<\/p>\n

With a background in working with homeless people and refugees, the 30-year-old knew she had to do something more to help the situation back at home – so she devoted her spare time to setting up an initiative in Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

Zakia, who also works for the Social Enterprise Academy, told HuffPost UK: \u201cThere\u2019s a very bad stigma around homelessness. I wanted to start something because, well, people are people – and sometimes they just have bad luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invisible Edinburgh works with other organisations to reach out to homeless people, rather than approaching them directly on the streets. Charities and venues where these people might go to get food, shelter or support will inform them of the tour guide training scheme, which is run in collaboration with Crisis.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pretty big commitment. Training takes place one day a week over a period of five weeks. There, people will be trained in skills like public speaking, first aid, managing large groups and building self-confidence.\u00a0They\u2019re also encouraged to come up with a unique theme for their tour. One guide\u2019s theme, for example, is \u2018powerful women<\/a> of Edinburgh\u2019.<\/p>\n

One of the guides,\u00a0Biffy Mackay, told HuffPost UK: \u201cSometimes I get a wee bit emotional when I tell parts of my personal story, but only because I\u2019m glad that it\u2019s all in the past for me now.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to charity Shelter,\u00a0on average a family is just three paycheques away from being made homeless,\u00a0which confirms just how fragile the balance of life can be.<\/p>\n

Zakia said she\u2019s lucky that she has friends and family if she needs support,\u00a0however realises it\u2019s not the same for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked since the age of 17. I\u2019ve had moments of struggling, but all in all I\u2019ve been quite stable,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have amazing friends and family that support me when shit hits the fan. But I understand that anything can happen and not everyone has that support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invisible Edinburgh has trained eight people in total and currently works with three regular tour guides.\u00a0Zakia also hopes to launch Invisible Manchester this year.<\/p>\n

The tours are different from others in the city as they cover Edinburgh\u2019s history alongside local projects, events and workshops. Neither do they don\u2019t shy away from the topic of homelessness. \u201cIt\u2019s more like a walk with a friend than a walking tour,\u201d Zakia explained.<\/p>\n

The latest statistics show 3,218 households were assessed as homeless after applying to the City of Edinburgh Council in the year to 31 March 2017. But a spokesperson for Shelter Scotland told HuffPost UK this doesn\u2019t account for people who hadn\u2019t sought help from the council – so it\u2019s likely to be more.<\/p>\n

The opportunity for stability and networking can be life-changing for those involved. One of the guides recently got the keys to her own flat.\u00a0\u201cShe had an up-and-down year,\u201d Zakia said. \u201cBut she finally got a council flat and I\u2019m really proud that she did it on her own.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same guide has also spoken on a panel about education for girls<\/a>, alongside academics and industry leaders, which Zakia said was a very emotional moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how shy she is and how difficult it is for her to speak in public,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt was amazing and empowering to see her do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The walking tours cost \u00a310 (per person) and this money goes towards paying the tour guides and any profit left over goes towards Street Barber – another project run by Zakia which provides haircuts for homeless people on the street.<\/p>\n

Some of the guides opt to do the tours on a voluntary basis so as not to conflict with any benefits they may be receiving. Zakia explained: \u201cWe ask if they\u2019re on benefits because if they make \u00a3100 in a month from being a guide, it\u2019s not worth the hassle [as it would affect their benefits claim], so they just do it on a volunteer basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

In cases like this, Zakia will reinvest that money into further training and help for the guide – for example, she\u2019ll pay for them to attend a course on managing money or budgeting.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying just how big an impact Zakia\u2019s efforts have had on these people.\u00a0One of the guides,\u00a0Sonny Murray (pictured at the top of this article),\u00a0said:\u00a0\u201cBeing a guide has really boosted my self-confidence and helped me to enjoy public speaking, which I\u2019d love to do more of.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives homeless folks a real chance they wouldn\u2019t normally get. The tours show tourists and locals alike what help is available for the most vulnerable people in the city.\u201d
\n
\nwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/invisible-edinburgh-life-changing-scheme-helps-the-homeless-become-tour-guides_uk_5a4e093ce4b025f99e20203f<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Invisible Edinburgh: Life-Changing Scheme Helps Homeless People Find Their Feet As Tour Guides Sick of seeing people struggling on the streets and not being able to do much about it, Zakia Moulaoui launched Invisible Edinburgh, which trains homeless people to become tour guides in the city. The idea came about after Zakia worked briefly in … Continue reading Invisible Edinburgh: Life-Changing Scheme Helps Homeless People Find Their Feet As Tour Guides<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2466,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nInvisible Edinburgh: Life-Changing Scheme Helps Homeless People Find Their Feet As Tour Guides - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/invisible-edinburgh-life-changing-scheme-helps-homeless-people-find-their-feet-as-tour-guides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Invisible Edinburgh: Life-Changing Scheme Helps Homeless People Find Their Feet As Tour Guides - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Invisible Edinburgh: Life-Changing Scheme Helps Homeless People Find Their Feet As Tour Guides Sick of seeing people struggling on the streets and not being able to do much about it, Zakia Moulaoui launched Invisible Edinburgh, which trains homeless people to become tour guides in the city. 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