Tools and methods

Local newspaper

When it is useful

During her 2014 art residency, the artist organised a series of meetings together with the host institution, Łaźnia CCA in Nowy Port. During these meetings, the artist and residents discussed how they could actively engage in shaping the future of the district. This is how the idea for the magazine Nowy Port Żyje came into being. The creation of the newspaper was preceded by journalistic and architectural workshops, among others. Using the idea of a local newspaper created together with the residents opens them up to research in action. At the same time, we are able to discover what problems are important for the neighbourhood, what topics, places and stories interest the residents – and we work together for the local community, informing about important issues and strengthening the participants in their engagement in local activities.

Step by step instruction

Organise a meeting with the residents in a place where they like to meet.
Discuss the idea for a newspaper: what sections should be included, who could/would like to be involved in writing the texts, how often it should be published.
Gather a group of people willing to contribute to the newspaper and invite them to a workshop to develop their skills.
Share topics and collect texts for articles. Assemble the texts and materials into a publication – you can ask for help from professional typesetters.
Print the newspaper and make it available in popular places in the neighbourhood: restaurants, shops, health centres, etc.
Analyse which topics appear in the articles, whether any are frequent, resonant or controversial.
PS. If a neighbourhood newspaper already exists, a similar analysis of texts can be done on the basis of the magazine’s issues, even going back several years.