Street level altruism (and the ripple effect of helping one person)

For the last 7 years Joshua Coombes has been a man on a mission.

In 2015, while working at a London hair salon and feeling a little disillusioned, Joshua Coombes took to the streets with his scissors to build relationships and offer haircuts to men and women experiencing homelessness in the capital.

He began posting transformative images on social media to amplify the voices of those he met. The stories that accompanied these photos resonated, and others began to get involved in their own way.

#DoSomethingForNothing was born — a movement that encourages people to connect their skills and time to those who need them.

Joshua didn’t want to set up a large charity, or focus on making a big impact or ‘changing the world’.

Instead he wanted to focus on helping the person right in front of him.

The kind of person many of us walk past every day.

Joshua felt his energy was best used getting to know a few people better, telling their stories and letting that ripple out.

Nick Cave called it ‘a simple, big-hearted and world-shaking idea’.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most profound, right? Just like Ole Kassow’s. Which makes me wonder — what can each of us give that we have in abundance, that can change people’s lives even in a small way?

I’ve just finished reading Joshua’s great book Do Something for Nothing which shares the stories of some of the people from across the globe that he’s got to meet on his journey. It invites us to see ourselves in one another and dissolve the negative stigmas surrounding homelessness.

🔥 Register here to join us this Friday 13th May at 12pm BST on the Fireside to hear Joshua’s story and better understand what impact means for you.

ps. We’ve had a last minute space become free for our Alptitude retreat which takes place from June 18–25th in the French Alps — apply at www.alptitu.de if you’d like to join us

pps We’ll be announcing the line-up for this year’s Happy Startup Summercamp in the next couple of weeks and we’re getting just a bit excited. If you’re not already on the waiting list, now’s the time to pre-register. You can do that here.