Do Something for Nothing: Seeing beneath the surface of homelessness, through the simple act of a haircut

Description

For fans of Humans Of New York and The Pursuit of Happyness. 'A big-hearted and world-shaking idea' - Nick Cave 'Turn a common, everyday act into something potentially transformative.' - Michael Sheen 'Moving and inspiring' - Johann Hari 'Small acts of love can make a big impact.' - Morgan Freeman When you're on the fringes of society, being recognised can mean everything. In 2015, while working at a London hair salon, Joshua Coombes took to the streets with his scissors to build relationships with people sleeping rough in the capital, and began posting transformative images on social media to amplify their voices. These stories resonated and thousands of people got involved in their own way. From this, #DoSomethingForNothing was born - a movement that encourages people to contribute their skills and time to those who need it. This book explores themes of love, acceptance, shame and perseverance, while inviting us to see ourselves in one another and challenge the negative stigmas surrounding homelessness. Through the simple act of a haircut, Joshua takes you on a journey into the lives of people experiencing homelessness in different cities across the world. Featuring before-and-after photographs, street art and stories, this book is an inspiring and uplifting account of one man's experiences with people who have more in common with all of us than you might imagine. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to organisations dedicated to assisting unsheltered people, as well as supporting future not-for-profit art projects.

Joshua Coombes is a British hairstylist and founder of #DoSomethingForNothing, a movement encouraging people to connect their skills and time to those who need it. When Coombes launched the project in 2015, his intention was to positively impact people's lives by offering free haircuts to those experiencing homelessness. By posting transformative images on Instagram, his platform continues to grow as he amplifies the stories of many that go unheard. Coombes's mission caught the attention of media outlets in Europe and has rippled worldwide. Coverage includes appearing in National Geographic's new series The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, released on Netflix internationally. Today, Coombes continues his efforts in new countries, humanizing this issue globally. He currently resides in London, UK.

'A simple, big-hearted and world-shaking idea.' - Nick Cave, Singer Songwriter 'Joshua's stories show the power that empathy and compassion can have to turn a common, everyday act into something potentially transformative.' - Michael Sheen 'Hope, optimism, kind curiosity, and real human connection. This book will make you want to do something, just because you can.' - Emma Gannon, Author of the Multi-Hyphen Method 'This is a moving and inspiring book about how we can be better people' - Johann Hari, Author of Lost Connections and Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs 'Coombes believes that small acts of love can make a big impact.' - Morgan Freeman