This report is the result of a collective effort to pause, look inwards, and reflect on the process of transformative change. It collates a series of insights, challenges, and lessons learnt by and with ten grassroots organisations from Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. These organisations work closely with different communities – refugees, LGBTIQ+ people, farmers, domestic workers, girls, and adolescents – and engage in movement-building work.

The report summarises their approaches to co-creating knowledge with communities and their principles and strategies of storytelling, meaningful participation and active listening, and building the collective power of communities and movements. It highlights our shared commitment to support marginalised groups towards realising their change agendas in a participatory, equitable, and democratic manner.

The authors hope that the stories and insights here serve as food for thought for people working in the ‘for purpose’ sector, either self-organising or supporting communities on the ground to transform unjust realities and bring about social change. The authors are not offering answers or solutions to the struggles that they and their partners identified during the collective reflection process, but the authors do believe that there is power, hope, and inspiration in knowing that they are not alone in their work, that there are many others all over the world asking themselves the same questions.

The authors hope that the report stimulates others who are walking on similar paths and going through common struggles and encourages them to embark on their own reflection processes.