“

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

~ Nelson Mandela

Many people take small actions in their own lives to support causes in which they have a personal interest. This might be represented by a donation of money or time. Some people choose to widen their involvement by creating awareness and educating others. Below is one example - what other factors could make a person take the step from personal action to a larger stage?

This activity returns to the topic of the course culminating assignment: the creation and execution of a campaign for social change.

At the end of Unit 1, you created and delivered a needs analysis. From that, you proposed a topic.

If you have any concerns about your topic, or would like to consider changing topics, you will want to do that now. From this point on, the work that you do on the culminating assignment will be topic specific.

When you are satisfied that the topic that you have identified is relevant, of interest to others, and something that you are interested in understanding better, you will learn more specific information about it though research. Then, you will end this activity by making a pitch that explains why this topic is of interest and deserves support from a larger group.

It can seem like the goal of creating real change is overwhelming. This is the culminating task of this course for a reason. It connects all of the topics and skills that have been discussed throughout the course and asks you to put them into action. In fact, the process is just as important as the outcome of this project. Often, plans start small and snowball from there. Try not to become focused solely on the end of this process; rather, concentrate on developing a solid plan that will help guide you to success. By choosing a topic that you are passionate about or are very interested in, this process should seem less like ‘work' and more like a worthwhile inquiry.

Linh Do, a university student, explains her path to creating change in the video below. Does her message resonate with you? What aspects of Do's action made her campaign for social change successful?

There are also larger organizations studying and teaching about social innovation. One example is the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience. The underlying goal of this group is to understand and perpetuate social innovation. If one person can make a difference, imagine the power that can be harnessed when a group of people come together to learn and create change.

Learning More About Your Issue

The quotation at the beginning of this lesson states that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. This was spoken by Nelson Mandela who was integral in the fight to end apartheid in South Africa. He eventually became the first black President of South Africa – arguably one of the most radical social changes in the past century.

Mandela's statement is linked to this activity in two ways. First, it is important that you become an expert on your topic so that you have the knowledge to move the issue forward. Second, educating others is a large part of any social change movement. In this case, you will be the educator.

In Unit 1, you were advised to choose your issue carefully, based on a local level or small scale. This is to ensure that notable change can be possible given the timeline and scope of this task. While the facts of your topic may seem obvious to you, research is important so that you gain a number of different perspectives and are able to share this knowledge with others. In addition, while you may know information about this topic on a global scale, it is important to understand the intricacies of the issue at your local level, or vice-versa to broaden its context.

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Long Description

Sharing Your Issue

At this point, it is important that you can confidently state the issue you have chosen. You should also be able to state what you wish to change. Even though you haven't yet determined the specific details of your plan, it is still possible to pique the interest of the general public.

You will do this by creating and delivering an elevator pitch(definition:an explanation of a situation or plan explained in simple language in the time you would have talking to someone as you ride an elevator.)

Elevator pitches are often used in the business world to propose new ideas or seek funding. The audience of an elevator pitch has 45 seconds to determine if they have any interest in the idea, if it is viable, and if it has merit. Take a moment to view some award winning business pitches below. As you are watching, consider whether they effectively meet these criteria. Are their ideas interesting? Are they viable? Do they have merit?

 

Creating change is not easy. If it were, there would be very few problems in our communities. It is, however, a worthwhile skill to practice and master. By creating change, you affect those around you in a positive way while improving your skills in planning, public speaking, and teamwork. As you move through future activities in this course, consider how you will make the goals described in your elevator pitch come to fruition in your campaign for social change.