# Changemappers

> Connecting changemakers.

## Summary
Changemakers want to solve big social problems. Changemappers helps them find & support other changemakers, social causes, communities & organisations to achieve long-lasting impactful systemic change.


## Our Story...

**PHASE: CRYSTALLISING and VALIDATING our concept**

Started in late 2019 out of a realisation that we changemakers, alone, are doomed for failure.
I talked to social innovators, students, volunteers and others to understand their world, their perspectives.

In parallel, in Sept 2021 I have reached out to Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary about a potential cooperation.
In 2022 we built our partnership, in 2023 we had an extensive round of interviews, in 2024 we continue into bulding a prototype. It is visible that we can go very slowly due to lack of funding but we progress step by step using time what we have.

In late 2023 I have applied to the u.lab 2x program (thanks to Phil!), later met with Gyuri and Anna on the way.
Together we discussed, shifted the focus even more inwards, did a Map of Meaning workshop and most importantly, started to embody more and more the world we want to live in...

## Project Links

Draft user stories, architecture and other development-related topics:
* https://hackmd.io/@jovokepzok/changemappers-dev
* https://www.u-school.org/g/teams/bb49a4f4-84bf-4d06-b303-f0fd335ada7a

## Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP)

ChangeMappers stands as a beacon of hope and action, blending local impact with global connectivity to drive systemic societal change. Our Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP) is to empower and unite changemakers worldwide, offering not only shared knowledge and collaboration but also crucial mental-emotional support and resources for growth, systemic thinking and volunteer engagement.

### Core Principles of Changemappers' MTP:

* Being a Changemaker is a Journey
Being a changemaker is an evolving journey open to those committed to self-development and broader responsibility. This progression is a deep shift from opposition (against something) to a vision-, and value-aligned, goal-oriented approach (for something) with a win-win-win mindset, moving beyond fear, anger, and negativity. Effective changemaking is rooted in a stable, harmonious life and a mindset that values diversity, embraces various perspectives, and sees failure as an opportunity for growth. It's a continuous process of learning, evolving, and embodying the ethos of being the change one wishes to see in the world, demonstrating personal growth, emotional maturity, and a commitment to positive, impactful change. Changemappers is dedicated to support this journey in every manner.
* Skill Development for Diverse Challenges:
Changemappers offers a collaborative space for learning and skill development, catering to local and global contexts. Members are encouraged to acquire skills critical for tackling both local and global challenges. This comprehensive approach to skill-building is vital for effective, context-sensitive actions, expanding the potential for impactful outcomes.
* Uniting Global Insights with Local Actions:
Changemappers bridges global insights with local actions, enabling the integration of globally informed ideas into local initiatives. This approach enhances local efforts with a breadth of diverse, worldwide perspectives, amplifying their impact.
* Empowering Changemakers with Holistic Support:
The platform provides essential mental-emotional support, creating a community where members find encouragement, understanding, actionable guidance, peer and professional (solution-focused) support.
**Best Existing Solution:** https://29k.org/
* Fostering Systemic Change through Local and Global Efforts:
We address the root causes of social issues across all levels, empowering changemakers to initiate meaningful changes in their communities and contribute to wider systemic shifts. Our network supports members in navigating the complexities of this work.
* Transformed Volunteering Experience and Engagement:
The platform supports the process of finding volunteers, enabling changemakers to assemble teams that transform shared knowledge into actionable projects, essential for initiatives with limited resources. Changemappers elevates volunteering to a more enriching experience by enabling matchmaking based on individual values and goals, focusing on conscious personal growth and professional skill development.

**Join Changemappers: A Community of Support and Action**

Join us at Changemappers, where you can be part of a movement that values global unity and local action, supported by a community that understands the mental and emotional demands of changemaking. Engage in collaborative projects, develop diverse skills, find volunteers, and share knowledge, all while being part of a network that cares for your well-being.

Your path to making a difference, both locally and globally, is supported here. Join Changemappers and be part of a community that empowers, connects, and sustains.

## Pitch

### Who we are doing this for
People who organize communities or volunteer regularly to help their local communities towards systemic changes.

### Problem statement
Many changemakers feel alone in their own community as innovators. They struggle with specific problems that are already solved elsewhere. Resources are very limited for independent social innovation. Burnout is a threat under difficult conditions.

### Solution
Connect changemakers based on values, location, interest and availability to unlock full potential. Connect them to relevant solutions. Help them find their true purpose, allies, volunteers, knowledge and resources to act.

### Similar portals
Facebook groups, Quora, Stack exchange, Minds, SDGs in Action, Steem.
Jodel, Nextdoor are too “hyperlocal” (not designed to connect changemakers across borders) or not specific to changemakers.

### Service
Changemappers provide a platform where people dedicated for systemic change can find each other and solutions to social challenges.

### Unique value set
Focused on the needs of changemakers, supporting self-organization. Map-centered simple and visual interface. Increasing volunteering. Timing. Privacy-centered, transparent, open-source.

### Sustainability model
Volunteering and donations support the platform. Certified ethical organizations can place ads.

### Creation process
Design thinking, research in partnership with universities, interviews, problem synthesis, prototype (MVP/MLP) development, prototype validation, crowdfunding.

### Funding strategy
Approach people and self-organizing communities directly. Community building. Crowdfunding. B-corps. EU, UN, foundations, philanthropists.

- Networks funder list
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WaObhkpChUTn-6aR7EyboC5ZXmmIpwr5-yEaxx9j2Pg/edit#heading=h.sya5msmcocx5

### Users
Est. 30 million people worldwide, 3400+ B-corporations and about 1 million organizations who work for systemic change, including UN 17 SDGs.

### Marketing strategy
Direct reach. Viral marketing. Networking, building community and strategic partnerships. Success stories in social media.

* Presencing Institute (Part of MITx u.lab - Theory U course): https://www.presencing.org/transforming-capitalism-lab/gallery/changemappers-connecting-changemakers

## Systemic issues

* [Rising inequality affecting more than two-thirds of the globe, but it’s not inevitable: new UN report](https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/01/1055681)

## We’re inspired by

### Educational Resources
- **Wikipedia**
- The greatest and open online repository for human knowledge.
- **U-School (Presencing Institute)**
- Empowering local solidarity circles globally with programs and materials for deep conversations.
- [U-School Main](https://www.u-school.org/)
- [U-School Resources](https://www.u-school.org/resources)
- [MITx Online Course](https://mitxonline.mit.edu/courses/course-v1:MITxT+15.671.1x/)
- [Presencing Institute Blog](https://medium.com/presencing-institute-blog/democratizing-access-to-the-tools-methods-for-societal-transformation-10300d92f3cd)
- **Khan Academy**
- https://www.khanacademy.org/

- **Inner Development Goals**
A movement that is complementary to the sustainable development goals. It focuses on the inner condition necessary for outer change.
https://innerdevelopmentgoals.org/

### Open Source and Technology
- **Creators of Open-Source Licenses, like AGPL**
- Ensuring that platforms are owned by everyone and respect the 4 freedom rights.
- [Free Software Philosophy](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html)
- [AGPL License](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.en.html)
- [Creative Commons](https://creativecommons.org/)
- **Agile and Lean Mindset, Lean UX, and Human-Centered Design**
- Enhancing human relationships through technology instead of destroying and monetizing them.
- [Center for Humane Technology](https://www.humanetech.com/)
- [The Social Dilemma](https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/)
- **OpenStreetMap**
- A collaborative project creating a free, editable map of the world, enhancing global understanding through open-source geographic data.
- [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/)
- **Loopy**
- An open-source tool for thinking in systems through Causal Loop Diagrams.
- [Loopy Main](https://ncase.me/loopy/)
- [Loopy GitHub](https://github.com/ncase/loopy)
- **Polis**
- Polis is an open-source, real-time system for gathering, analyzing and understanding what large groups of people think in their own words, enabled by advanced statistics and machine learning.
- [Polis webpage](https://pol.is)
- [Polis GitHub](https://github.com/compdemocracy/)

### Social Impact and Altruism
- **Effective Altruism**
- Promoting the philosophy of making the world better with reason and evidence.
- [Effective Altruism](https://www.effectivealtruism.org/)
- [Peter Singer TED Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_singer_the_why_and_how_of_effective_altruism)
- **UN - THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development**
- Uniting the world through global goals, featuring the Catalyst 2030 Theory of Change.
- [Sustainable Development Goals](https://sdgs.un.org/goals)
- [Catalyst 2030 Theory of Change PDF](https://catalyst2030.net/wp-content/uploads/Catalyst-2030-Theory-of-Change-21-April-2021.pdf)

### Learning from Failures and Innovation
- **Admitting Failure**
- Learning from the failures of others in various endeavors.
- [Admitting Failure](https://www.admittingfailure.org/)
- **Liberating Structures**
- Encouraging inclusion and engagement in organizations and communities.
- [Liberating Structures](https://www.liberatingstructures.com/)
- **The Community Tool Box**
- Helping with community development through action, teaching, and training.
- [Community Tool Box](https://ctb.ku.edu/en)
- **Social Innovation Atlas**
- Mapping and documenting social innovation around the world.
- [Social Innovation Atlas](https://www.socialinnovationatlas.net/map)
- **Mapping an Emerging Ecosystem**
- An emerging ecosystem is seeking a radical, alternative approach to social change. One that is simultaneous paradigmatic, integrated and engaged (PIE). The project provides a map including key features, ideas, organizations and initiatives.
- https://ecosystem.lifeitself.org/
- **Co-Intelligence Institute**
- Promoting innovations in collective wisdom, co-creativity & collaborative governance
- https://www.co-intelligence.institute/

### Books, Publications and Media
- **Fearless Change Patterns (books)**
- [Fearless Change Patterns](https://fearlesschangepatterns.com/)
- **Wisdom of Trauma (movie)**
- Exploring the impact of trauma and paths to healing.
- [Wisdom of Trauma](https://thewisdomoftrauma.com/)
- Jeremy Rifkin: **Zero marginal cost society**
- Albert-László Barabási: **Network Science**
- **ENVIENTA**: https://sto.envienta.com/downloads/envienta_white_paper.pdf
- **Environmental Humanities**, emerging in the 21st century, merges traditional humanities with sciences and arts to address environmental issues. The book introduces this field within the Hungarian context, covering topics like environmental philosophy, anthropology, conservation, and social justice, while highlighting community responses to ecological challenges in Hungary.
https://openaccess.hu/node/508779/metadata

## To be explored

Life wants to have more life. That’s why we can consider generativity a core attribute of life itself, present in all manifestation of living, biological or social. In the world of humans, that broadest sense of the term informs as various and more special uses of it as adult development psychology, organization design, technology theories, appreciative inquiry, and many other disciplines.
https://futurehow.site/generative-capabilities/

Steward-ownership is a corporate ownership structure that presents an alternative to shareholder value primacy. It ensures that companies prioritize their long-term purpose over short-term profits – by legally enshrining two principles:
https://purpose-economy.org/en/whats-steward-ownership/

Doing AI well
https://phi.institute/

Global Giving - A crowdfunding platform that connects donors with grassroots projects around the world, fostering global empathy and progress.
https://www.globalgiving.org/

Project Gutenberg - An early pioneer in free electronic books, offering over 60,000 public domain e-books. They help keep the wealth of historical literature accessible to everyone.
https://www.gutenberg.org/

Khan Academy - A non-profit educational organization providing free online courses and instructional videos across a wide range of subjects, democratizing education for all.
https://www.khanacademy.org/

Changemakers - An online community that connects social entrepreneurs around the globe to share ideas, inspire, and mentor each other.
https://www.changemakers.com/

Global Social Entrepreneurship Network (GSEN) - Amplifies the impact of social entrepreneurship through supporting social entrepreneurs with resources, knowledge, and connections.
https://www.gsen.global/

Ashoka - Fosters a global network of social entrepreneurs, offering support and resources to individuals leading social change initiatives.
https://www.ashoka.org/

In 1999, Jeff Skoll created the Foundation to build a sustainable world of peace and prosperity for all. The Skoll Foundation catalyzes transformational social change by investing in, connecting, and championing social entrepreneurs and other social innovators who together advance bold and equitable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
https://skoll.org/engage/

## Archive
* Website (sandbox state, prototype to be built during u.lab 2x): ~~https://changemappers.org/~~
* Ideas, roadmap (just to test this interface): ~~https://jovokepzok.frill.co/~~

## How could you help?

* Spread the word to changemakers, local community organizers, volunteers, experts (programmers, graphic/UX designers, etc.)
* Provide feedback, especially on:
* How does this project and its description resonates to you?
* How does it fill a gap of connecting and supporting changemakers across borders?
* How exactly do you see it would help you as a changemaker?
* What written (categorized) form of details (e.g. vision, mission, values, principles, topics and goals) would serve you to decide if you want to meet another changemaker?
* On a scale of 1 to 10, how well can you relate to United Nations 17 SDGs to describe your preferences related to social causes? (e.g. to decide whether you want to be involved or not in a volunteering project)
* Regarding your talents and goals, how much are you comfortable to share on a public online platform?
* What type of privacy controls would you need at minimum?
* Sponsor prototype development
* One simple user story (function) costs about 50-300 $
* Contribute to code if you “speak” Svelte/Javascript/OpenStreetMap/UI Design/etc.: https://github.com/sicambria/changemappers

# **Let's connect!**
* hello at inczegaspar dot hu
* **https://forms.gle/KQJBNcRj4tm2Jq8d9**
* https://www.linkedin.com/in/inczegaspar/