Briefing No. 47
PATHWAYS TO CHANGE
Pathways 2.0 kicks off this month! We’re excited to begin the second edition of the year-long Pathways to Change programme, supported by the Gates Foundation and designed to enable a small group of philanthropists to explore what it really takes for everyone to have the chance to lead a healthy and productive life, no matter where they are born. To all those who are taking part, leading sessions or helping to facilitate behind the scenes, thank you.
What we’re reading
On the Greenwood Place Bedside Table
How to Know a Person by David Brooks
Brooks explores the art of truly seeing and hearing others. His argument is simple but profound: good conversation is an act of moral imagination. In a time of division, he makes the case for listening as the foundation of civil life.
BOWLING TOGETHER
A healthy democracy depends on citizens’ sense of connection to each other, and that sense depends on participation in organisations of all kinds, from churches to bowling leagues. This is a film about why you should join a club.
The man who planted trees
We’ve recommended this short film before but it’s worth repeating. Jean Giono’s story of a shepherd who spends his life planting acorns in a barren valley was turned into Frédéric Back’s Oscar-winning 1987 animation. It’s exquisite — a reminder that patient, purposeful action can, over time, transform both landscapes and lives.
The great good place
Last week Rebecca’s husband and son walked into a merry and bustling pub in the Yorkshire Dales. The Farmers Arms in Muker had been closed and on the market for two years, until more than 500 villagers raised over £500,000 to buy it back into community hands. Ray Oldenburg writes about the “third place” — informal gathering spots, neither home nor work, that knit community together. As public life fragments, keeping such places alive feels more essential than ever.
The power of choirs
A BBC war correspondent once told us that in the aftermath of conflict she often saw people form choirs. Singing together, she said, was a way communities found strength again. Choirs remain one of the clearest expressions of community: people from different backgrounds warming up together, rehearsing imperfectly, and joining voices.
The Helen Bamber Foundation’s Choir, Woven Gold, performed at Greenwood Place’s launch party back in 2018. They sound just as good now.
High conflict - amanda ripley
Ordinary differences don’t have to become toxic. Ripley examines how conflict escalates into entrenched hostility, and how people can find their way back to common ground. A humane and practical guide to disagreeing better.
On being with john Paul Lederach
Conflict mediator John Paul Lederach reflects on the “moral imagination” — the ability to envision relationships across lines of division, and to nurture the slow, patient work of peace.
‘sometimes’ by sheenagh pugh
William Sieghart, author of the Poetry Pharmacy series, calls this poem an “anchor of optimism”…
“Sometimes things don’t go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don’t fail.
Sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.”
Educate girls
Educate Girls has made history as the first Indian organisation to receive the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia's premier prize and highest honour. Often called the Nobel Prize of Asia, it recognises greatness of spirit and transformative leadership. We have been part of Educate Girls’ journey since the founding days of Greenwood Place and we are all SO proud.
from our community
The Relationships Project’s recent reflection, Four Signs Love is the Running to Strangers, is a beautiful reminder that community is built in small gestures as much as in grand designs.
Meanwhile, a coalition of capacity-building organisations has launched a new AI-powered tool to help more social leaders access high-quality leadership support. It’s a practical way of strengthening the skills, mindsets, and leadership our sector needs to thrive. Try version 1.0 here.
AND FINALLY...
Our Principles of Practical Wisdom set out how we try to work at Greenwood Place: tending the soil, not just the tree; making time for slow questions; holding conviction lightly and relationships closely. They are a compass for how we approach grant-making, community, and partnership. Find them here.
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
Greenwood Place provides philanthropy support, advice and execution for a small group of strategic philanthropists. We take an entrepreneurial approach to tackling tough social and environmental problems. We work closely with our clients to find the places where they can make the most difference, we support their learning and we partner with them to achieve real, lasting change.
The Greenwood is the place in Shakespeare's plays where characters go to grow, change and learn.