​A convergence of creative ideas, stories, practices ​and resources from social change leaders and practitioners across the world...
​
“Going barefoot is the gentlest way of walking and can symbolise a way of living - being authentic, vulnerable, sensitive to our surroundings. It’s the feeling of enjoying warm sand beneath our toes, or carefully making our way over sharp rocks in the darkness. It’s a way of living that has the lightest impact, removing the barrier between us and nature.

Adele Coombs, “Barefoot Dreaming”
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In English, Français,  Español

Future Convergence

Cultivating Practices of Collaboration
for Social Change

By the Forus Barefoot Guide Writers’ Collective
We believe that civil society organisations have a unique and historic role to play to challenge, re-orient and galvanise actors from all spheres of society to work together, reducing polarisation and nurturing our common humanity. We need to learn to engage government and business to put people and planet before power and profit. But we also need to change ourselves as civil society, to step out of our silos and corners and turn towards each other to mobilise and multiply our collective potential.

This Barefoot Guide, written by thirty-one civil society leaders and practitioners from twenty countries from across the world, describes a range of practices and experiences that bring diverse people and organisations together towards a vision of a planet that is more equitable, inclusive, humane and sustainable.
A publication of Forus
Forus is a member-led network of 69 National NGO Platforms and 7 Regional Coalitions from all continents representing over 22,000 NGOs active locally and internationally on development, human rights and environmental issues.
Serie de agroecología​

​SOBREVIVIENDO COVID-19 EN MÉXICO
El remedio olvidado

by the Natural Food Barefoot Guide
Writer’s Collective
¿Cuál es la mejor manera de enfrentar a la COVID-19 en México? ¿Cómo pueden aquellos que viven en áreas urbanas densamente pobladas o en zonas rurales remotas sobrevivir mejor a la COVID-19 si se contagian?​​
​​The Second Mini-Barefoot Guide
​In the new Agroecology Series

​Whole Landscapes,
Whole Communities

Working with Nature to Heal, Transform and Regenerate Landscapes
By the Seed Knowledge Initiative Agroecology Landscape Barefoot Guide Writer’s Collective​
This mini Barefoot Guide is an introduction to the SKI partners’ journey of landscape-level work with communities in the Southern African region.

​It is a resource to those communities and those working with them to think about why this landscape-level work is important, to find inspiration and lessons from successful stories around Africa and how to go about working with communities to do the work. 
​Click to preview
​in ISSUU
A publication of the Seed Knowledge Initiative
The Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI) is a dynamic partnership of diverse Southern African organisations committed to securing food sovereignty in the region. We work with smallholder farmers to become more seed, food and nutritionally secure through farmer-led seed systems, improved crop diversity, and the revival of local knowledge systems. 
​Le premier mini-guide « Terre à Terre» de la nouvelle série sur l'agroécologie

​Survivre à la COVID-19: le Remède Négligé

Comment les populations africaines peuvent-elles gérer au mieux COVID-19 ? Comment les personnes vivant dans des zones urbaines densément peuplées ou dans des villages ruraux isolés peuvent-elles survivre au mieux à COVID-19 si elles sont infectées ?​
​The First Mini-Barefoot Guide
​In the new Agroecology series

​Surviving COVID-19: 
​The Neglected Remedy

by the Natural Food Barefoot Guide
Writer’s Collective
How best can people across Africa deal with COVID-19? How can those in densely populated urban areas or in remote rural villages best survive COVID-19 if they get infected?​
​This mini-Barefoot Guide has been produced under The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), a broad-based alliance of different civil society actors that are part of the struggle for food sovereignty and agroecology in Africa.

New Barefoot Guides  under development​

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​​Future Convergence: Cultivating Practices of Collaboration for Social Change 

​Social change cannot find momentum or breakthrough without the combined forces of change actors. Different forms of collaboration are required . This Guide, being written by members of Forus International explores the stories and practices of how people have worked together to forge successful approaches to real social change.
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​The Story of Seed

​How seeds are the source of life and describing the sacred practices of family farmers and communities in protecting, multiplying and sharing seeds so that they are not monopolised by the few. Held by the Seed Knowledge Initiative with 18 practitioners, researchers and farmer leaders from Southern Africa.

Barefoot Guide Images are in the Creative Commons - Free for you to Use

All the images used in the Barefoot Guides are freely useable for non-profit work. You can access them all here:

Barefoot Guide Image Download Page
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​Barefoot Guide 1
Working with ​Organisations ​​and Social ​Change
​
​Download all languages
​Download English pdf
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Barefoot Guide 2
Learning Practices in
Organisations &
​Social Change
​
​​Download all languages
​​Download English pdf
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Companion Guide to Barefoot Guide 2
Designing and  Facilitating Creative Conversations & Learning Activities

Download English pdf
​​Download French pdf
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​Barefoot Guide 3
Mobilizing Health ​Assets for ​Transformation 
​
Download English pdf
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Barefoot Guide 4
Exploring the ​Real Work
​of Social ​Change
​ 
Download all languages
​​Download English pdf
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​Barefoot Guide 5
​Mission Inclusion:
​Building a World Where ​All Belong
​
Download all languages
​Download English pdf

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​Barefoot Guide 6
Generative Leadership:
Releasing Life in a Turbulent World

Download English pdf
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Barefoot Guide​ 7
Surviving COVID-19: 
​The Neglected Remedy

Download English pdf
​Téléchargez le PDF en français​
​Descarga el PDF en español
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Barefoot Guide 8​
Whole Landscapes,
Whole Communities

Download English pdf
​
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Barefoot Guide 9​
​Future Convergence
Cultivating Practices of Collaboration
for Social Change

Coming Soon...
English, Français & Español
​
Barefoot Guide Images
All the images used in the Barefoot Guides are freely useable for non-profit work. You can access them all here:

Barefoot Guide Image Download Page

WHAT HAVE OTHERS SAID ABOUT THE bAREFOOT gUIDES...

The Barefoot Guides have been the key influences in my life and work… my constant companions in my community and organisational development work. 
Marie Corcoran-tindill, Trainer, Facilitator of community and group processes, Dublin 

The Barefoot initiative is itself an exciting expression of social change. 
Inez Hackenberg, Utrecht University 

As a trained action learning facilitator their guides have helped me work with grassroots communities in Myanmar and Thailand. 
Kevina Maddick, Program Manager at Right To Play, Bangkok 

The Barefoot Guide's transformative process… shows us the way to transcend borders, sectors, limits, to break the silos! 
Vincent Stevaux, ITECO, Bruxelles

Barefoot Guide has been creating phenomenal content for the critical process of experiential reflection at both individual and organizational levels. 
Jesse Chen, Changemakers, Washington 

…a wonderful contribution to open access knowledge, grounded on a great depth of experience and horizontal learning from across the world. 
Samantha Button, East Africa Program Head, Maliasili 

…the Barefoot Guide collection is having a great influence, especially the lives of field workers and communities. 
Muta Wakilu Tamasco, Ghana 

The Barefoot Guide Connection has a unique and truly transformational approach to collaboration, learning and facilitating social, transformational change across borders. 
Tobias Troll Director, EDGE Europe at EDGE Funders Alliance, Bruxelles 

This unusual and exceptional volume (and series) is hugely accessible yet deeply rooted in solid theory and extensive practice across a wide range of contexts and fields. Expect from it something truly unique in its combination of insight, reflection, experience and highly usable mixed text/visual presentation. It is not "dumbed down." I have seen it bite as deeply at high academic and professional level as at grassroots community leadership level, an astonishing achievement worth honouring. 
Professor Jim Cochrane Cape Town 

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