What is a Changemaker?
Being a Changemaker is not about coming up with an over-the-top idea that involves large sums of money, hours of time and participation from hundreds of people. It is about empowering people who have a specific skill set and allowing them to use their motivation to create positive social change for the greater good. It is about finding a greater purpose and wanting to have a positive impact on the world – whether it is in the field of sustainability and stewardship towards Earth or helping the homeless in your local community.
Looking back in history, we see the gradual change of technology taking over our daily lives, making it impossible to work or study without some type of electronic device. What was once a plant-based diet has become an oversaturated meat industry and the act of crafting things from raw material has disappeared from our lives. Or has it?
It could be said that we have always been living in a time of change and that the human race continuously tries to make the world a better place. Yet it is only now that we have become so globalized, that it is easier for Changemakers to communicate to each other and learn from each other faster than ever before.
We are also living in a world today that is partially fear-based; the fear of climate change, violence, wars and social injustice. Recent current affairs, however, continue to also create a silver lining – a hope-based opportunity – the opportunity to change. We are living in a time of change, where various movements (from #metoo to #blacklivesmatter) are happening on a global level, bringing cultures, ethnicity and religion together to fight for one cause. We are living in a time where we have been given the opportunity to make the world a better place – to be a Changemaker.
How to be a Changemaker
Metaphorically speaking, a Changemaker is the person standing on top of a mountain, looking down, not fearing the height and understanding his or her overall position in life – where he or she is and where he or she wants to go; and how he or she wants the world to grow.
A Changemaker is someone who:
- Sees a problem, has a vision and is able to turn it into a solution
- Creates an action-orientated plan that will move the world forward
- Asks the right questions and connects the dots
- Understands the gravity of the situation and the consequences if action is not taken
- Motivates people to jump on the bandwagon of change
- Communicates openly about the possible challenges and solutions
- Steps out of their comfort zone for the greater good
- Uses creativity to drive solution
- Portrays high values and meaningful action for change
- Makes the change
Changemaking has become part of our collective consciousness. Here’s what we at CAS Trips are doing!
CAS Trips & Changemakers
CAS Trips has taken the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and turned them into action-orientated activities that are incorporated into the itineraries of every destination. For example, we have taken the UN SDG Nr. 2 – Zero Hunger, and incorporated it into our trip to Prague by working together with a local charity to feed the homeless. Another example is how we have incorporated UN SDG Nr. 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, Nr. 13 – Climate Change and Nr. 15 – Life on Land on our trip to Bhutan. Here travelers learn about organic farming, the importance of limiting CO2 and how Bhutan became the first carbon-negative country in the world.
But we didn’t stop there. We provide our travelers with the necessary tools to put their learning into practice and become a Changemaker back home. With the implementation of the Changemakers Challenge, we give travelers the tools to organize and engage in a long-term collaborative CAS Project that will have a positive impact on communities back home. To simplify the process, we have developed a Changemakers Challenge guide, which each traveler receives during a CAS Trip. The guide is filled with useful tips, worksheets and a step-by-step framework on how to navigate your idea towards making a change.
Once the changemaking idea evolves, travelers will be encouraged to create a 180-second video that details:
- The problem they set out to solve
- The solution they you came up with
- How they implemented their solution
- How they worked as a team
- The impact their project had
Each year CAS Trips will award one project that has gone above and beyond expectations. Students will have the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to one of the Global Student Exchange destinations. The true long-lasting award, though, is knowing that you have become a Changemaker and that your project is making a positive difference within your community!
We have been given the opportunity to innovate, create and move forward with a purpose – to create socially and environmentally conscious solutions, to thrive as individuals and as global citizens of the world.
You can be the Changemaker of tomorrow, starting today!
Interested in finding out more? Contact us here!
