"This document is a different kind of guide. Meaning, it's less of a guide and more of an invitation. An invitational guide, if you will. For us, narrative research has become one door into a bigger, older, interrelated question about how we inspire one another to change. This document tries to conn ... ect some of the contemporary ideas about narrative practice to some of the wisdom and inspiration that can be found in related practices—from Afrofuturism to artistic activism to peacebuilding—all while offering questions to inspire thinking about your own practice, examples from our partners' initiatives, reflections from our experience, and resources for your own exploration. We lay out six elements (or, as we call them, spice blends) that describe and invite creativity, reflection, and exploration for activism and advocacy: problem spaces; creativity; visioning & imagination; hope, values, emotions; experiences & relationships; people. Each element emerged from the work of the teams we partnered with, and they build on and point towards the work that has inspired and informed our own thinking. They are intended to be explored, played with, changed, and built upon. They are meant to be a resource and a source of inspiration and reflection for practitioners and funders alike." (Page 7) more

"In 2019, the Fund partnered with Purposeful, a feminist movement-building hub for adolescent girls, to pilot a participatory grant-making initiative in Sierra Leone aimed at promoting youth leadership and amplifying the voices of young people. As our first foray into realizing the potential of part ... icipatory grant-making, this experience taught us many valuable lessons about how to foster genuine participation of children and young people. A targeted and intentional approach to reach a diverse group of children and youth is essential. This helps prevent a participatory process that only benefits young people in urban areas and those from higher socio-economic backgrounds. We also learned that true participation requires letting go of power while ensuring that young people have what they need to make meaningful and informed decisions. Support to child and youth-led groups should go beyond grant money to include a comprehensive package of grantee-led learning and accompaniment. The biggest lesson is about the need to be open and flexible throughout the process. Being willing to adapt as we went along allowed us to respond and make changes (almost) in real time. It also allowed us to learn from the young people about what it means to use your voice and make yourself heard in ways far beyond what we could have anticipated." (Executive summary) more