Social Change

I am a social change agent.

At least, I strive to be one. The term was first introduced to me during my internship last year with One Sky, as their mission is to create emerging grounds for social change agents.

So what does this mean? My take on it - my boss would be able to explain it in much more detail - is that social change agents can't be created, so to speak. An organisation or group can, however, create an environment where someone's potential as a leader and social change agent, is fostered for growth.

I've been reflecting on this idea of social change the past few days while I've been bed-ridden with a stomach bug. While working in rural Northern BC and promoting things like energy efficiency and conservation, it's been a struggle for me to bring certain people out of an ego-centric perspective and into an ethno-centric one. It's no easy task, trust me.

From my experience, it's in the delivery of your own perspective that you can create "emergent grounds" for a transcending discussion. What I mean by this is that when one tends to preach, the reaction is to close down and defend your point of view. Let's face it, it's not as easy as changing someone's perspective on the world in one conversation. So, then, how does one affect social change?

I don't claim to have answers, which leaves me in a difficult position in this post. If I were to suggest anything, it would be through interaction. The biggest thing that hinders further change is the inability to hold multiple perspectives. This is a quality I strive to acquire because it allows an individual to detach itself from the ego, reaching broader pastures in terms of perspective.

How else can you work with, for example, loggers and miners? For that matter, how else can you work with anyone that holds a different opinion or perspective than you?

Having recently started writing again, I'm visibly rusty so let me collect my thoughts and continue this post in the near future.

Thanks for watching.