Encouraging Transformation: Proven Strategies
In a world grappling with pressing challenges, movements for change have emerged as powerful forces, shaping the conversation and driving progress. A new report, titled "Making change: What works?", sheds light on the key characteristics and strategies that underpin successful movements.
Initiated by the IPPR and the Runnymede Trust and funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the report is a culmination of a project aimed at understanding what enables movements to realise significant change. It explores the journeys of four recent movements: LGBTQ+ rights, race equality, climate action, and health inequality.
The environmental movement, for instance, has fought for clear goals such as reaching 'net zero' greenhouse gas emissions, breaking the problem down into key sectors. High-profile events, like the Extinction Rebellion protests in April 2019, have served as catalysts for change, reshaping debates and increasing public interest. Successful movements, however, are not organic but require active cultivation by organizations that do the work that is in everyone's interest but no-one's individual responsibility.
The race equality movement, on the other hand, has fought to foreground and popularise the stories of those suffering under systemic racism and racial injustice. The murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020 were poignant examples of events that reshaped debates and brought the issue to the forefront of public consciousness.
The public health movement offers another compelling case study. It introduced evocative 'smoking kills' campaigns to make the invisible visible, building a campaigning infrastructure to tell compelling stories, shift the debate, and capture existing sources of power or build alternatives.
The LGBTQ+ movement has also demonstrated the power of strategic advocacy. It has recruited new allies focusing on family and friends and built power through political representation. The movement has shown that movements that have the biggest chance of success focus on issues that are relatively simple and impact a large population.
Effective movements seek to change society's goals and mindsets, not just provide evidence of the need for change (the 'information deficit' approach). Simplifications and accommodations made by movements can limit the ability to deliver the change some movements seek, and may result in incomplete change and leaving people behind.
The most effective movements have three key characteristics in their ecosystem of influence: breadth (diversity), depth (capability), and inter-connection (community). Movements can try to make change more congruent with the status quo by championing technology or an 'assimilationist' approach, but successful movements are those that are prepared to act in the wake of events to harness their potential for change.
In conclusion, the report offers valuable insights into the strategies and characteristics that underpin successful movements. Whether it's the fight for climate action, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, or public health, understanding these principles can help us navigate the challenges of the 21st century and drive meaningful change.
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