Ashoka is a massive network of social entrepreneurs. They have around 3000 Fellows scattered all over the globe. Each of these Fellows is a hub, a central community organizer plucked, trained, and placed to guide and empower their community.
I appreciate how much focus on individual agency they place in their mission and vision:
- Vision: Ashoka envisions an Everyone A Changemaker™ world: a world that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem and drive change.
- Mission: Ashoka strives to shape a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector: one that allows social entrepreneurs to thrive and enables the world’s citizens to think and act as changemakers.
A couple of years ago I was at a talk given by someone from Ashoka . They asked "Can you imagine what would have happened if Ghandi, Mandella, King, had access to Facebook and Twitter?” The audience sort of giggled.
“But they didn’t need it, did they? Why did they have such an impact? They gave people a sense of power. The power that they can make change."
They gave people a sense of power. The power that they can make change.
This is the philosophy behind Ashoka’s entire model. There’s to learn by studying them.
When are the moments in the UN when people feel the greatest sense of power and agency…when are the moments when people have a sense that they are making an impact in the world?
One of the first things Ashoka tells a new Fellows to do when placed in a new project:
"Put out actions that everyone can take. Clear actions. Small wins." It'll show who's in, who's not. A test.
They’ve found a way to systematize/platform-i-tize their work as well. Ashoka Changemakers is a platform designed to accelerate the rate of change for critical social issues through education and open innovation challenges.
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