LifeDesign | Accompaniment
There's an element of mystery, of openness, of trust, in accompaniment. The companion, the accompagnateur, says: "I'll go with you and support you on your journey wherever it leads; I'll share your fate for a while. And by 'a while,' I don't mean a little while." Accompaniment is about sticking with a task until it's deemed completed, not by the accompagnateur but by the person being accompanied.
— Paul Farmer
Class Resources
Accompaniment is a partnership with the other, walking together. No matter the duration of the relationship, accompaniment encourages and cares for all dimensions of another person, and in the process recognizes our shared dignity. Building on the centrality of relationships for a happy and healthy life, accompaniment is a valuable concept for engaging constructively with others in a complex world.
Accompanying the Poor Over the Long Run
In this classic Foreign Affairs article, Paul Farmer explores the implications of accompaniment for constructively engaging in a complex world.
We are All Accompagnateurs
This article from the Notre Dame Magazine, by Steve Reifenberg, examines accompaniment in the international development context.
Jacqueline Novogratz Interview
The Secret of Accompaniment informs this interview of Acumen founder Jacqueline Novogratz discussing her book, Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World with Krista Tippett on the May 2020 On Being radio show. (51 minutes)
The Science of Accompaniment
The Benefits of Accompaniment
Megan McLaughlin and her colleagues explore the positive role that community health workers play and the positive results for and more effective treatment outcomes through a process of accompaniment. AIDS and Behavior, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2019
Make it happen
Moral Leadership Practice
Video by Jacqueline Novogratz, from her book, Manifesto for a Moral Revolution Video. (30 minutes)
Teaching Accompaniment
In this draft chapter (for a forthcoming book with Paul Farmer), Steve Reifenberg explores the implications of re-imagining one’s own life and experiences through the lens of accompaniment.