Change has become a constant in today’s world. As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, our world is characterized by exponential change and massive disruption, requiring quick, strategic, and creative responses both collectively as a society and individually as citizens. At Ashoka, we believe that if every person practices changemaking for the good of all, we will be closer to solving the world’s most pressing challenges.

Changemaking is a way of untapping the potential of communities and individuals to shape the societies they live in by taking creative action to solve social problems. The foundations for a widespread changemaking movement are currently lacking in our society. To make such a movement a reality, changemaking must be a skill learned and practiced early in life and encouraged throughout society.

As Europe emerges from the pandemic, the disruptions and inequalities that COVID has exacerbated will continue to impact our societies and economies in profound ways. The scale of the challenge that lies ahead requires a new way of solving social problems, one that involves understanding the root causes of a problem and proposing innovative solutions that transform the entire system. It also calls for a change of mindset towards an entrepreneurial culture and a knowledge-based paradigm shift.

Ashoka’s mission is to unlock everyone’s potential to act as a Changemaker. Since its founding in 1980, Ashoka has been identifying and selecting social entrepreneurs and Changemakers across the world who are driving large-scale systemic change with an entrepreneurial, creative mindset and who are inspiring and empowering others as Changemakers.

Many of the innovative solutions we see today come from the civic and youth communities. We believe that it is not enough for citizens and agents of change to have a say; we must acquire the skills that will allow us to use our agency to change the world for the good of all. Changemaking should be understood as a human right; its lack of enjoyment constitutes a new form of inequality, limiting access to and participation in societal problem-solving and contribution.

The future of Europe will depend to a great extent on its ability to build a pluralist and participatory democracy where everyone uses their power to drive social change and shape policy. In this future, we must ensure that young people become Changemakers by supporting them to develop the skills needed to lead transformative social change.

Creating a mindset shift towards a changemaking Europe will require everyone on board: social entrepreneurs, governments, private sector leaders, and civil society. As we recover from the pandemic, we have an opportunity to build forward better, and social innovation has the power to inform policies that unleash the changemaker potential in each of us.

Join us as we build the movement towards an Everyone A Changemaker Europe. Let’s shape the future of Europe together!