Go one day without shoes on April 10th, 2012 and take part in a campaign to raise awareness for shoeless kids, who must go the distance without footwear
This movement seeks to have every one participate in going one single day on April 10th, 2012, doing everything you normally do, except forcing yourself to go barefoot the entire day; wehther you gotta go to work, drive, walk to the store, hang out with friends, shop, exercise, go to a party, etc.
The aim is to raise awareness for millions of kids in underdeveloped and third world countries who cannot afford to buy shoes, and who do not own shoes. Many of them do all of their activities barefoot, thus opening themselves up to injury and disease. Can you imagine how much wear and tear your feet would have if you did not own any shoes or sandals? These kids don’t go barefoot because they want to, they do it because THEY HAVE TO. Not having proper footwear or clothing cannot stop them from living their life, so they must. But it is a much more dangerous life, and one fraught with complications.
Granted, many people in America also go without shoes, most famously women… who seem to never actually wear shoes despite many of them owning several pairs. Of course, they rarely go barefoot outside of the home, opting to wear thongs or flipflops instead… and obviously that makes a huge difference. Even so, I’ve seen many woman walk around the streets barefoot on occassion, usually they have drug problems, but that’s not always the case. It’s not unheard of to be heading to a Circle K, QuickTrip, gas station or other convenience store and see a woman walk back home with no shoes on. Walking through the pavement and onto the hot asphalt through the parking lot all barefoot. And of course, many kids CHOOSE to go barefoot, even riding their bikes up to the store without shoes on. Maybe that’s just where I come from, but I’m willing to bet it happens in other cities as well, not just Phoenix, Arizona. Whenever I see these women I’m always taken aback about how or why they’d possibly go barefoot, but they seem to not care about stepping on a sharp rock or piece of glass…
Raise awareness for kids who lack shoes and footwear by walking barefoot to your work, on the streets, while shopping, etc. Spark that conversation!
Even so, I think this is a fantastic idea. The goal, of course, is to walk around barefoot and thus cause alarm in people who see you and your bare feet. They will likely ask, “Why are you walking around without any shoes?” or “What the f*ck is wrong you yo?” :P That can then start a conversation in which you can tell them about “One Day Without Shoes” and the aim of raising money for organizations (Like TOMS Shoes, which has put this campaign together and provides shoes to poor children) that help to get physical shoes and much-needed footwear into the hands of kids in countries that need them. It’s a great cause, and if you have the courage to participate you definitely should. Just tell them to look it up online, and they’ll likely find the One Day Without Shoes website.
Personally I am someone who cannot stand having dirty feet, and thus I’m always walking around in my sandles (even at home) or at least socks. I am only barefoot if I’m on the computer or in my room… and even then it kinda bothers me. I would never dare step foot outside barefoot and I can’t understand why so many women walk around with their bare feet showing and aren’t wearing socks and shoes. But I digress.
Here is a video for One Day Without Shoes. If you learned about it through this article I wrote, please leave a comment and tell me if you plan on participating or what you think of this idea.