“All of my guides make it out of homelessness after six months working with us,” says Perrine. Shades Tours have been rated the top tour in Vienna on Tripadvisor

In 2015 the mayor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Häupl, signed a commitment to pursue the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Within this framework, the City of Vienna committed to SDG Goal #10: Reduce inequality within and among countries. By 2030, the city’s ambition is “to empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, ethnicity, religion or economic or other status”. Time to get down to work.

To make Vienna a city with opportunities for all, the Municipality looked for novel business-driven approaches to integrating marginalized groups (especially post-retirement individuals and migrants) that support civic engagement at the local level. They launched this challenge through the Social Challenges Innovation Platform and received 10 different solutions.

Among all of them, the idea presented by Perrine Schober was selected by the challenge-owner and implemented in the city: tours guided by homeless people.

SHADES TOURS creates jobs for homeless people who provide alternative walking city tours to children, students, companies and interested tourists on the topic of homelessness in Vienna.

Awarded a €30,000 grant and six months of mentoring to turn the solution into a reality, Shades Tour is already creating an impact in Vienna. “All of my guides make it out of homelessness after six months working with us,” said Perrine. Participants are really enjoying the experience and it’s been rated the top tour in Vienna on Tripadvisor.

Perrine’s solution is already showing results in Vienna but she doesn’t want to stop there. Her idea is scalable and can be replicated all over Europe. “Next year I would like to make a small franchise and expand Shades Tour to other cities,” she explains.

Watch Perrine describe Shades Tours in her own words here:

Written by Pablo Munilla for Social Challenges Innovation Platform.