Mapping it out: Social change approaches

04Mar07

In earlier posts, I mulled over social change overall, the need and opportunity for describing shared visions for the change, and two overarching paths (social marketing/education and policy/advocacy) to pushing change along the ‘social diffusion bell curve”. The lens for all these ideas is focused on social change organizations, or actors, in terms of [...]

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Two Paths to Social Change

25Feb07

Unless they’re focused simply on providing direct service, social change groups are seeking to change the way people live with each other or the natural environment. So from an activist’s or ‘change agent’s’ point of view, what are the basic approaches for pushing an idea further and faster along the social change bell curve?
It strikes [...]

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Power: What Lies Beneath

16Feb07

“There is nothing wrong with power if used correctly… What we need to realize is that power without love is reckless and abusive and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against [...]

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The Trajectory of Social Change

12Feb07

How does social change “happen”? And what can social change leaders and groups do to help it happen? Before getting into the philosophy or techniques for movement-building, or for ‘accelerating’ or influencing social change, I’ve found it helpful to unpack the basics. So I’ll start with what, to me, is the seminal and [...]

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Frank Lunz on Enviros

12Feb07

This past week, Frank Lunz was interviewed in Grist Magazine about the U.S. environmental movement and its failure – in his view – to effectively change policy and engage key publics. He chastises enviros for being “mean” and generally ineffective at framing solutions and cultivating key allies with whom they actually share common values and [...]

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59 Smartest Orgs On-Line

07Feb07

In the past few weeks, I’ve been pondering and mapping out my own beliefs and understanding about social change – various theories of change, approaches and strategies, and where individual leaders, non-profits and their ‘capacity-builders’ (like me) and funders fit in. It’s not rocket science – this mapping, that is – but fun to put [...]

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Change what?

04Feb07

So, what is “social change”, anyways? The Journal of Social Change describes it as “change that improves the human condition and progresses people, groups, organizations, cultures, and society toward a more positive future.”
That’s fairly obvious, I suppose – but what would that “positive future” look like? Is it always ‘change’ that we [...]

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