NURTURE YOUR UNIQUE JOURNEY TOWARD CHANGING THE WORLD AROUND YOU.
Making a difference is a lifelong journey! Our new initiative and framework helps you explore how you can define & grow your impact on the world around you without burning out.
Creating social change is like tending a garden—growing From The Ground Up! Through the seasons of our lives, different elements keep us growing and sustainable—while we try to make a change in the world around us.
Explore the Garden of Change to reflect on your own journey, and find suggestions on new ways to move forward.
We hope this framework helps you:
Let’s explore!
The Elements Of Our Framework
These elements represent essential pieces of your journey. They’re distinct, but interconnected. Together, they’re where your journey of social change & impact take root.
As you explore, ask:
What does this element of the Garden look like in my own life?
How does it impact how I engage with the world around me?
What’s one immediate step in my life to grow in this area?
The Spectrum
Every journey starts somewhere. You don’t have to be perfect—just willing to grow.
Awareness & action come in Stages, various steps on the journey to become more informed & active. Take a look below to see where you are—and where you can go
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Ignorance: You’re unaware that this issue exists, or you don’t see how it affects people.
Lack of Ownership: You don’t see this issue as “your” problem or responsibility.
Discomfort: Labels like “justice” or “political” make you feel uncomfortable.
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Curiosity: You’re starting to learn about this issue, growing in your knowledge.
Personal Investment: You’re seeing how this social issue connects to you & the communities you care about, and doing the work to understand your role in it
Education: You’re beginning to hold informed thoughts, opinions or perspectives on this issue, which may have shifted as you’ve become Aware.
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Lifestyle: You’re beginning to change your behaviors to align with your values, going beyond thinking about change to enacting it.
Analysis: You’ve begun to dive deeper in your understanding of the factors that have caused & continue to drive this issue.
Role: You have a place in the social change ecosystem, where you see and are using your specific skills making a positive difference.
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Organizing: You’re actively championing the cause - taking proactive action & bringing others into the conversation & movement.
Big-picture Thinking: As you increase your awareness of this issue, you’re addressing the systems that contribute to it & the communities affected by it.
Integrated Action: You’re living out your values on this issue in a consistent lifestyle that spans all areas of your life.
Catalyst Moments
Catalyst Moments are experiences in our lives that awaken us to see our reality differently, compelling us to take action. These moments are like seeds that are sown, eventually sprouting into mature plants.
Catalyst Moments are the moments where you:
Make the connection between an idea and its real impact on you and those around you.
Realize how your actions affect the issue.
See how lived experiences and learned knowledge come together for an informed outlook on the issue.
Think back to when something gave you a new perspective on an issue - maybe it personal experience, or a major news event.
What happened? Why was it significant to you?
How did this moment impact you? What did it show you about yourself, others, or a social issue?
Inner Work & Outer Work
Inner Work & Outer Work are both critical to sustaining engagement and action. Plants need strong roots and fertile soil to grow healthy & produce fruit. In the same way, how we do Inner & Outer Work is essential to creating meaningful, long-lasting change.
Inner Work is how you take time to understand your own experiences, biases, and position in society. This can look like:
Healing from internalized oppression.
Learning about a diverse range of social justice issues - including unlearning false narratives you’ve been taught.
Expanding your understanding of justice, including intersectionality (how combined social identities impact our experiences), and collective liberation (how our oppressions & freedom are connected).
Outer Work is the ways you tangibly take action to affect the world around you. This can look like:
Taking actions that align with your convictions, like attending a protest, donating, or volunteering.
Building relationships with people and organizations that share your values and evolving beliefs.
Using personal resources & influence to advance the causes you care about.
Have you been more focused on inner work or outer work? Why?
How do you define impact when it comes to your inner work? What about your outer work?
What is one way you can tend to your inner work and outer work?
The roots (Inner Work) and fruits (Outer Work) will look different from garden to garden. But they're always important to grow your unique voice for social change, you to support the health of your garden inside & out!
Supportive Factors
Like good soil, sunlight, and water, these important factors strengthen our budding social engagement - the more of these we have, the more we’re able to deepen and sustain our impact.
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This is how closely you see yourself to be connected to & impacted by issues of injustice and oppression.
“How does this issue affect me or the people I care about?”
“How important does this issue feel to me personally? Why?”
“What role do I play in this issue?
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Relationships of trust and respect help us relate to and form our understanding of issues. They also give us support processing experiences & news, especially when they seem complicated or new.
“Who do I feel comfortable talking to about current issues, especially when I’m not sure how to think about it?”
“When an experience leaves me feeling uncomfortable, hurt, or confused, who can I go to to process it?”
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Places where information about social change issues is accessible, and trusted voices can create a safe space to help you learn more about issues.
“What organizations, leaders or news sources help me learn about complex issues in a way I understand and can engage with?”
“What do I need to feel safe - and even brave - while I learn or engage with issues around social change?“
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Personal convictions give you the strength and direction to take actions you believe in, and support you to align your position to those convictions beyond a single issue.
“What defines my core values & beliefs? How does it inform my perspective or view of these issues and my role in it?”
“Who are the social change leaders or people who inspire me? What qualities do they have that I admire?”
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Seeing your impact of your actions can create a positive feedback loop, encouraging you to keep going.
“What’s a moment I saw my actions directly result in a positive impact? How did that feel?”
“How do I define what impact or change is in this situation?”
Barriers & Challenges
Like pests that threaten your garden, challenges weaken our engagement with issues that matter. In naming them, we can discover how to address them.
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How distant we think we are from an issue and its impact can make you unaware it exists, or not care about it.
“Why am I not engaging with this issue? Why do I feel like it doesn’t affect me?”
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Without friends or community that care or that you can talk to about social change issues, it’s easy to feel like it shouldn’t matter to you either.
“How do the people in my life currently respond to social change issues? How does it impact me?”
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When you encounter Misinformation, Information Overload, or see people getting Cancelled for “not getting it right”, you can start pulling back on speaking out.
“What comes up for me when I think about speaking up or needing to ‘know enough’ to do something?”
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When your actions don’t seem to have any impact, you can feel powerless. But you can have a real impact - even if you don’t always see it.
“How do I define impact? What do I expect to change when I take a certain action?”
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Personal encounters with racism and the harmful impacts of oppression can leave you feeling disempowered and disillusioned.
“How have I been impacted by oppression or racism? How might it be affecting me now?”
Seasons of Engagement
Everyone goes through seasons of more or less engagement. That’s normal! Recognizing where you are can help you be kinder to yourself, while looking forward at what's to come.
We can move through these seasons along all stages of our journey.
Curious & Growing
Growing interest in social change - in general, or a specific issue. You’re navigating how to engage, starting to grow in interest. Typically connected to a catalyst moment.
Discouraged & Disengaged
Struggling to stay involved with issues you care about. You may feel overwhelmed or discouraged by events or your own experiences.
Engaged & Active
Actively engaging in social impact, seeking ways to take action and make change. Feeling empowered to be part of creating change.
Finding Rest
You’re taking a break - tending to the many other aspects of life that require your attention. Not actively engaging in addressing social impact. A season of rest and self-care.
What seasons have you been moving through in your life?
Is there a Season of Engagement you’d like to move into? What calls out to you about that season?
What thoughts or feelings come up when you’re in each season? If you’re in Winter (taking a break), how do you feel? What do you think about while you rest from overwork, or after a period of intense engagement?
GROW YOUR GARDEN, NURTURE YOUR IMPACT
No matter what you want to harvest - fruit, veggies, flowers - tending to your Garden of Change creates an impact that nourishes us all. Keep on growing your garden, from the ground up!
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