Social change is a concept many of us take for granted or don’t really even understand. No society has ever remained the same. Change is always happening. We accept change as inevitable, and it is, end of story, right? Well, not exactly.

Sociologists define social change as changes in human interactions and relationships that transform cultural and social institutions. These changes occur over time and often have profound and long-term consequences for society. Well known examples of such change have resulted from social movements in civil rights, women’s rights, and LBGTQ rights, to name just a few. Relationships have changed, institutions have changed, and cultural norms have changed as a result of these social change movements. That’s pretty heady stuff. Don’t you think?

What interests me, and what I hope interests you, is our collective power to influence social change. While we accept that change is constant, we do not have to accept that we are powerless in its wake. It is the extent to which we care about the direction of social change that we can try to shape it and help to create the kind of “change we wish to see in the world.” Whether or not Gandhi actually uttered these words doesn’t matter. What matters is that the phrase begs the question, what kind of change do we wish to see in the world?

These are lofty goals to be sure, and they demand our constant attention and unrestricted imagination to envision a better world. You may think that’s great, but wonder why you should care, why you should take time out of your incredibly busy schedule to take action and more importantly, how you can even go about helping to create positive social change. I’d like to suggest that it’s not that hard if we begin at the most basic level, that of relationship building.

Change Begins With How and When We Interact With Others

When we listen respectfully to others who have different opinions and life experiences than our own, we take the first step in listening; we accept that there are myriad perspectives and points of view on most issues of concern. If we truly want to be a participant in real change, we cannot stop at acceptance, but we must have conversations that push and pull, that asks us to give and take. And if we are willing to do that, we can find those points of agreement and come together on them. We needn’t concede those points that define our values but find ways to work together towards positive change that reflects our shared values. It is the art of principled compromise that has the power to create a more lasting change. Care Republic, through its program brought together diverse groups of people for challenging discussions on issues ranging from conflict resolution and reconciliation to education reform and economic equality.

Are You Ready To Join Us? Are You Up For a Challenge To Help Influence Positive Change & Progress in your Community?

The conversation topics often were, but listening and learning from others was not. Change begins this way. We must nurture civil discourse and work with intentionality to bring together people with different perspectives. Convening gatherings of people, educating students in classrooms and online, and supporting activists who put themselves in the forefront of advocating for social change are how Care Republic’s use its influence and power to direct change towards a more equitable and inclusive society. Ultimately, however, it is not the programs that each of our organizations offers that create lasting change, but it is the relationships of trust and respect that do. Building those kinds of relationships, even when, no, especially when, it seems impossible, is the key to cultivating constructive social change. So take the lead, start now and stay at it.