Words by Abi Scaife
City tours are all well and good, but so often you only ever scratch the surface. Very rarely do you have a tour guide that will give you the real nitty gritty information about a city, but then again, Invisible Cities is not your usual kind of tour company.
Invisible Cities is an incredible social enterprise that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city.
“As equally as as providing positive opportunities for people, there's a lot of stigma that exists around homelessness,” explains Zakia Moulaoui, the CEO of Invisible Cities. “That a homeless person will get drunk or be an addict, which may well be the case. But also there's a lot of homelessness linked to mental health.”
Zakia’s experience with working with the Homeless World Cup has made her more aware of the issues of homelessness than others and was part of what inspired her to create Invisible Cities. She hopes that by making those with experience of homelessness more visible, by allowing them to share their stories, these stereotypes will be broken down, and give way to empathy, understanding, and much-needed support.
“In 2016 I met Sonny; he was one of the first guys I recruited in Edinburgh and together we built this programme of training and delivering tours,” says Zakia. “We do exactly the same everywhere; it's open to anyone, whether they want to become guides or not.”
Sonny still works closely with Invisible Cities today, and he says the responses on tours are incredibly positive.
“[On the tours] I start by telling them about Invisible Cities and I tell them I don't mind answering questions about being homeless,” says Sonny. “A lot of them are really interested - a good 75%.”
The training is very broad - rather than just teaching each person how to be a tour guide, it involves training in public speaking, customer service, and even education. It is designed so that each guide has skills that can be applied anywhere; not just giving tours.
“It's all about mixing this access to opportunities and doing something positive in the city with educating around homelessness,” adds Zakia. “Having a safe space where you can talk about rough sleeping and addiction and you can talk about places that offer support in our cities.”
Each guide designs their own tour, making it an incredibly personal thing. They have tours themed around the LGBTQIA+ community, Crime and Punishment, feminism and even more, allowing tour guides to engage with what they are passionate about.
“It became quite clear that [some] of the people we work with face all sorts of very complex issues [and] need day-to-day support support and that can't really be done remotely,” explains Zakia. “So, from 2019 we developed a social franchise module where we partnered with a local organisation, they do all of that practical underground work.”
These other organisations help Zakia find new guides and others who are interested in the training - but they also serve another very important purpose.
“That way [the guides] know they can trust us, but also, we know if one day they completely fall off [the radar], or disappear, we have another organisation we can go to for support.”
By working with other organisations, the Invisible Cities team are able to ensure the safety and security of their guides and make sure that they have as much support as they need. Alongside the guide training, Invisible Cities also provides training in Gambling Awareness and other issues that may disproportionately affect unhoused people.
“Invisible Cities has definitely helped me over the last eight years; I don’t know what it would be like [otherwise],” admits Sonny, who has now done over 1,000 tours for Invisible Cities. “It keeps me busy, keeps me motivated, and obviously helps me out financially.”
While the tours are a big part of Invisible Cities, primarily they are there to support those who have experienced, or are experiencing, homelessness. Whether you decide to go through with becoming a guide or not, Invisible Cities will train you, and provide much-needed support.
Zakia says: “[Our tours] go beyond the postcard. Especially in a city like Edinburgh, it’s very romantic in nature, very grand, but it's also about the people. It’s a true picture of a city, [rather] than what you see on the more mainstream tours.”
In 2021, Invisible Cities was voted the best community tour in the world, and they have also been recognised by National Geographic - both things that are well deserved for the incredible work they do.
“The feedback that comes back off is it's like going on a tour with a friend, which is so great,” adds Zakia. “Because if you think the guides can be a friend then we're definitely breaking down that stigma around homelessness.”
If you want to support Invisible Cities, you can do so by finding your closest tour on their website. You can also take a virtual tour on their website, and even buy a tour gift card for a loved one, all of which will support this incredible social enterprise.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
St Mungo’s. St Mungo's is a leading UK homelessness charity supporting over 3150 people every night. Help us end homelessness and rebuild lives. Support them here.
Centrepoint. This charity supports homeless young adults aged 16-25, and aims to end youth homelessness in the UK. Find out more here.
Emmaus. Emmaus is a UK-based charity and community working together to end homelessness. Learn more here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG No Poverty and Decent Work and Economic Growth.
