Your Mission: Through systems thinking and movement building investigation, develop a platform that connects and amplifies changemakers working on social justice issues while building collective power for systemic change.
Target SDG Goals:
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Strengthen implementation through global partnerships
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies
- SDG 4: Quality Education - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities - Reduce inequality within and among countries
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Discovery Challenge:
Social change work can feel overwhelming and isolated. Your challenge is to understand how successful social movements connect people, build collective power, and create lasting change. What if the most effective platforms don't try to create new movements, but instead support and connect existing ones? How do you build technology that serves liberation rather than extracting from movement work?
What you'll do: Open the project and familiarize yourself with the interface
- Open the StackBlitz template: The Change Maker
- Other alternative: you can download the source code template from StackBlitz Download Project button if you want to use IDE.
DO NOT DELETE the existing files in the template:
- Package files
- Any other files you didn't create
ONLY EDIT the necessary files.
Learning Challenge: How have successful social movements built power and created change?
💡 Discovery Task: Study 3 successful social movements (historical or contemporary) to understand how they organized, built coalitions, and achieved their goals.
Movement Analysis Framework:
- How did they start? Who were the early organizers and what sparked action?
- How did they build participation? What motivated people to join and stay involved?
- How did they handle conflict? Internal disagreements and external opposition
- What were their strategies? Direct action, policy advocacy, cultural change, etc.
- How did they build power? Coalition building, resource mobilization, narrative change
- What was their theory of change? How did they understand the path to their goals?
Key Investigation Questions:
- What role did technology or communication tools play in these movements?
- How did these movements balance grassroots organizing with institutional engagement?
- What challenges did these movements face in maintaining momentum and unity?
- How did these movements define success and measure progress?
- What can we learn about building inclusive and sustainable movements?
Documentation Task:
Create a "Movement Success Factors Analysis" identifying common patterns and strategies that effective social movements use to build power and create change.
Research Challenge: Who is doing social change work in your area, and how do they connect (or not connect)?
💡 Discovery Task: Interview 5 people working on different social justice issues to understand their work, challenges, and collaboration patterns.
Changemaker Interview Framework:
- Ask about their social change work and what motivates them
- Learn about their biggest challenges and resource needs
- Understand how they connect with other changemakers and organizations
- Discover what tools, platforms, or resources they currently use
- Find out what would help them be more effective in their work
Key Discovery Questions:
- What social justice issue are you most passionate about, and why?
- What's the most challenging part of your changemaking work?
- How do you find and connect with other people working on similar issues?
- What resources or support do you wish you had access to?
- How do you measure the impact of your work?
- What role does technology play in your organizing or advocacy?
Systems Mapping Questions:
- How does your work connect to larger systems of change?
- What other issues or movements intersect with your work?
- Who are the key players (individuals, organizations, institutions) in your issue area?
- Where do you see opportunities for more collaboration or coordination?
Documentation Task:
Create a "Changemaker Ecosystem Map" showing different social justice efforts in your area, their connections, gaps, and opportunities for collaboration.
Investigation Challenge: What digital tools and platforms do social movements currently use, and what works or doesn't work?
💡 Discovery Task: Research 5 digital platforms or tools used by social movements. Analyze their strengths, limitations, and impact on organizing efforts.
Platform Analysis Areas:
- Organizing platforms (e.g., Action Network, ControlShift)
- Communication tools (e.g., Slack, WhatsApp, Signal)
- Fundraising platforms (e.g., ActBlue, GoFundMe, Mighty Cause)
- Social media strategies (Twitter campaigns, Facebook groups, Instagram activism)
- Coalition building tools (event organizing, petition platforms, volunteer management)
Critical Analysis Questions:
- How do these tools support or hinder grassroots organizing?
- What barriers do these platforms create for different communities?
- How do these tools handle privacy, security, and surveillance concerns?
- What features do movements need that aren't currently available?
- How do these platforms balance user engagement with sustainable social change?
Movement Technology Assessment:
- Interview 2 organizers about their experiences with digital organizing tools
- Analyze what works well and what creates barriers for inclusive organizing
- Consider how different tools affect power dynamics within movements
- Understand the digital divide and accessibility challenges for different communities
Documentation Task:
Create a "Movement Technology Gaps Analysis" identifying what tools effectively support social movements and what needs are unmet.
Systems Challenge: How do power structures work in the social issues you care about, and where are the opportunities for change?
💡 Discovery Task: Choose one social issue you care about and conduct a power analysis to understand who has influence, how decisions are made, and where change is possible.
Power Mapping Process:
- Identify the Issue: Be specific about the problem and the change you want to see
- Map the Stakeholders: Who are all the people and organizations with influence?
- Analyze Power Relations: Who has formal power? Informal influence? Economic control?
- Find the Decision Points: Where and how are relevant decisions made?
- Identify Allies and Opposition: Who supports change? Who resists it? Who's neutral?
- Locate Leverage Points: Where might pressure or organizing have the biggest impact?
Systems Thinking Questions:
- What are the root causes of this problem, not just the symptoms?
- How do different systems (economic, political, social, cultural) interact to maintain this issue?
- What would need to change at different levels (individual, community, institutional, systemic)?
- Where are the feedback loops that keep the current system in place?
- What unintended consequences might result from different intervention strategies?
Documentation Task:
Create a "Social Change Systems Map" for your chosen issue, showing power relationships, decision-making processes, and strategic intervention opportunities.
Design Challenge: How do you want to contribute to social change, and what role could a platform play?
💡 Theory Building: Based on your research, develop a theory of how your platform could support social movements and changemakers.
Theory of Change Components:
- Vision: What does successful social change look like in the areas you want to support?
- Problem Analysis: What specific barriers prevent effective changemaking and movement building?
- Strategic Approach: How will your platform address these barriers?
- Activities: What specific features and functions will your platform provide?
- Outcomes: How will you know if your platform is effectively supporting social change?
- Impact: What broader changes do you hope to contribute to?
Critical Reflection Questions:
- How does your platform build power with movements rather than extracting value from them?
- What would movement leaders say about your approach?
- How does your theory of change address root causes, not just symptoms?
- What assumptions are you making that you should test with community members?
Implementation Challenge: Design a platform that serves movement needs as defined by movements themselves.
💡 Development Task: Create a simple prototype designed through ongoing collaboration with changemakers and movement organizers.
Movement-Centered Design Requirements:
- Include social justice organizers as design partners throughout development
- Test with changemakers working on different issues and using different strategies
- Ensure the platform strengthens rather than replaces human relationships and organizing
- Design for the security, privacy, and safety needs of social movements
- Create features that support collective power building, not just individual networking
Technical Development Guidelines:
- Prioritize user privacy, security, and protection from surveillance
- Design for accessibility and inclusion of different communities and technological capacities
- Create features that help organize collective action, not just individual engagement
- Include tools for movement resource sharing, skill building, and strategy coordination
- Build in ways for movements to maintain autonomy and self-determination
Organizing Challenge: How does your platform help movements build collective power and amplify their impact?
💡 Power Building Focus: Design features that help changemakers coordinate strategy, build coalitions, and amplify their collective impact.
Collective Power Features:
- Tools for movements to coordinate campaigns across organizations
- Platforms for coalition building around shared issues or goals
- Resources for strategic planning, campaign development, and impact assessment
- Features that help movements share successful strategies and learn from each other
- Communication tools that support both local organizing and broader movement coordination
Movement Amplification Support:
- Help movements reach new audiences and build broader support
- Connect local organizing efforts to policy advocacy and institutional change work
- Support narrative development and storytelling that advances social justice
- Create pathways for individual supporters to engage with organized movements
- Build tools for movements to coordinate responses to current events and opportunities
Movement Research Portfolio:
- Movement success factors analysis from historical and contemporary social movements
- Changemaker ecosystem map of social justice efforts and connections in your area
- Movement technology gaps analysis identifying what tools help or hinder organizing
- Social change systems map showing power dynamics and intervention opportunities
- Theory of change statement for how your platform supports movement building
Solution Documentation:
- Social movement platform prototype designed with organizer input
- Movement-centered design process documentation showing partnership approach
- Collective power and amplification strategy connecting individual users to movement goals
- Security and privacy framework protecting movement organizing and participant safety
- Sustainability plan ensuring platform serves movement needs rather than extracting from them
On Social Movement Learning:
- How did studying successful movements change your understanding of social change?
- What surprised you about how movements build power and create lasting change?
- What did you learn about the role of technology in supporting versus hindering organizing efforts?
On Systems Thinking:
- How did conducting a power analysis change your understanding of the issues you care about?
- What did you discover about leverage points and opportunities for strategic intervention?
- How does your platform approach address root causes rather than just symptoms?
On Movement Partnership:
- What did you learn about designing with movements rather than for movements?
- How did centering organizer needs change your platform design?
- What would movement leaders say about your platform approach and features?
On Collective Power:
- How does your platform help build collective power rather than just individual connections?
- What's the difference between networking and organizing, and how does your platform support organizing?
- How does your approach balance supporting individual changemakers with strengthening movements?
Your project succeeds when:
- Social movement organizers report that the platform helps them coordinate more effectively
- Changemakers find each other and build coalitions around shared goals more easily
- Movements report increased capacity for strategic campaign development and implementation
- The platform helps surface and amplify community-led solutions and organizing efforts
- Users report learning organizing skills and strategies that make their individual efforts more effective
Your platform contributes to social justice when:
- It helps movements coordinate campaigns that achieve concrete victories
- Changemakers report increased access to resources, skills, and strategic support
- The platform supports coalition building across different issues and communities
- Movement organizing efforts reach new audiences and build broader participation
- The platform helps translate individual concern into collective action for systemic change
Your Impact Potential:
This approach demonstrates how technology can serve liberation movements rather than extracting value from social change work. You've learned to center movement needs, build collective power, and support organizing efforts that address root causes of injustice.
You're ready to build platforms that serve the changemakers who are building the world we need!
Submit Your Project Here