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Have you tried to create social change? If so, how?

JustVJustV Community Manager Posts: 5,313 Part of The Furniture
edited June 2023 in Politics & Debate
If you haven't heard the term social change, it can mean a lot of things, such as:
  • Giving a presentation at school about social issues
  • Being an ally to marginalised communities
  • Raising awareness of social issues
  • Taking up leadership or governing roles
  • Speaking to your friends about issues you care about
  • Political campaigning
  • Protesting
  • Voting (if you're old enough)
  • + much much more!

So, have you tried to create social change? If so, how? I'd love to hear your stories. :)

If you're okay with it, The Mix might also share some of these ideas to give inspiration to other people who are interested in creating social change.

If you're reeeaally interested in this, we're also looking for people to write an article or create a TikTok for The Mix about their experiences with creating social change. :)

I feel like I've said 'create social change' too many times in this post.

Create social change.
The truth resists simplicity.
Post edited by TheMix on

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    M3GANx04M3GANx04 Posts: 61 Boards Initiate
    I'm very passionate about challenging sexual and domestic violence. About a year ago I took part in a 3 day course in London about peer mentoring on sexual and domestic violence. It was a fascinating course which helped me understand the best ways to approach victims, understand perpetrators, and help those in need.
    Being a university student, I always aim to focus my assignments around the historical and psychological changes around the term sexuality. I believe it's been one of the greatest social changes of all, which is still evolving.
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    JustVJustV Community Manager Posts: 5,313 Part of The Furniture
    That's awesome @M3GANx04 - good for you! Such an important thing to be fighting for and it's awesome that your work includes understanding perpetrators. Prevention is key.
    Being a university student, I always aim to focus my assignments around the historical and psychological changes around the term sexuality. I believe it's been one of the greatest social changes of all, which is still evolving.
    What changes or trends stand out to you the most?
    The truth resists simplicity.
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    Millie2787Millie2787 Community Champion Posts: 5,147 Part of The Furniture
    I worked with a friend and also my young carers service amongst others to create a petition and I think it did get close to the number needed to be discussed in Parliament. also around the young carers chat that we have now :)

    I used to be part of a group in my young carers that work at creating change … I’ve been part of conferences where my last one (before covid) I actually shared my story of being a carer and chaired that conference.

    And we’ll I’m always very passionate about creating space and change for young and young adult carers as the team probably already know 😅
    Sometimes all you need is one person to believe in you , for you to begin to believe in yourself.
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    Amy22Amy22 Posts: 3,998 Community Veteran
    I don't think I have actually done social change, yet. But I would say that I am a big advocate of equality, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community. I tend to re-share posts on my social media about the importance of diversity to even ranging to well-being. I would love to be able to sign a petition or attend a proper protest in my local area.
    Just a person who likes pop culture and films
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    JustVJustV Community Manager Posts: 5,313 Part of The Furniture
    @Millie2787 @Amy22 thanks for sharing your thoughts - love hearing about this stuff!
    Millie2787 wrote:
    And we’ll I’m always very passionate about creating space and change for young and young adult carers as the team probably already know 😅
    We might have heard this once or twice. :tongue: Do you consider the work you do around young and young adult carers to be activism? Do you feel it's made a difference?
    Amy22 wrote: »
    I don't think I have actually done social change, yet. But I would say that I am a big advocate of equality, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community. I tend to re-share posts on my social media about the importance of diversity to even ranging to well-being. I would love to be able to sign a petition or attend a proper protest in my local area.
    Every little helps! What makes you so interested in those issues Amy?
    The truth resists simplicity.
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    Amy22Amy22 Posts: 3,998 Community Veteran
    Mike wrote: »
    @Millie2787 @Amy22 thanks for sharing your thoughts - love hearing about this stuff!
    Millie2787 wrote:
    And we’ll I’m always very passionate about creating space and change for young and young adult carers as the team probably already know 😅
    We might have heard this once or twice. :tongue: Do you consider the work you do around young and young adult carers to be activism? Do you feel it's made a difference?
    Amy22 wrote: »
    I don't think I have actually done social change, yet. But I would say that I am a big advocate of equality, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community. I tend to re-share posts on my social media about the importance of diversity to even ranging to well-being. I would love to be able to sign a petition or attend a proper protest in my local area.
    Every little helps! What makes you so interested in those issues Amy?

    I'd say lately I've seen a lot of injustice towards women and the LGBTQIA+ community a lot and I feel like there needs to be more justice for them as I keep seeing things on the news specifically hate crime and its sad to think that minority groups are been affected. I don't know I would say that I've always been a supporter of the community but I am also willing to learn more and I am open to learning better.
    Just a person who likes pop culture and films
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    Millie2787Millie2787 Community Champion Posts: 5,147 Part of The Furniture
    edited March 2023
    Mike wrote: »
    @Millie2787 @Amy22 thanks for sharing your thoughts - love hearing about this stuff!
    Millie2787 wrote:
    And we’ll I’m always very passionate about creating space and change for young and young adult carers as the team probably already know 😅
    We might have heard this once or twice. :tongue: Do you consider the work you do around young and young adult carers to be activism? Do you feel it's made a difference?

    @Mike just once or twice ;) I feel like what I have done has made a difference. The conferences I’ve done for example , the last one I did we had a cohort of social workers as part of the people who came and we was able to through information, activities and personal stories being shared give them more of an awareness and understanding of what Young carers are … more than what they would have learnt in there basic training through there programme.

    I know when I’ve done Instagram Takeovers in the past for the topic young carers around the awareness days etc there has always been some sort of feedback saying there’s things I’ve touched upon that people didn’t realise.

    I know the Young carers chat that was set up here has been a lifeline for some and brought new people in who didn’t know the Mix existed … especially a chat specific for them , as that’s something that there is very few and far between.

    I think what people don’t realise is there’s lots of little things that we do , that help push towards change . Whether it’s Sharing a post , Writing about personal experiences or signing petitions … it all adds up .
    Sometimes all you need is one person to believe in you , for you to begin to believe in yourself.
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    M3GANx04M3GANx04 Posts: 61 Boards Initiate
    Mike wrote: »
    That's awesome @M3GANx04 - good for you! Such an important thing to be fighting for and it's awesome that your work includes understanding perpetrators. Prevention is key.
    Being a university student, I always aim to focus my assignments around the historical and psychological changes around the term sexuality. I believe it's been one of the greatest social changes of all, which is still evolving.
    What changes or trends stand out to you the most?

    The sexual liberation of women is something I'm particularly interested in. It fascinates me the way female sexuality has always been something of interest.
    Historically, we lived in a very religious society. Sex as a source of pleasure was sinful and women were the main victims of stigmatisation. Devout Catholics blamed women's sexuality for the downfall of man. You would expect abstinence, but instead women would be raped and shamed.
    As science evolved, sex for pleasure became much more acceptable, however women still fell victim to judgement, unlike men. Evolutionary scientists insisted that women were naturally not supposed to be promiscuous like men, and that they should remain pure.
    As time has progressed, there has been so much activism for female sexual liberation - it's being spoken about so much more and is much more widely accepted. However, the stigma still exists. Women who have had multiple sexual partners are judged and not wanted by the same men who have also 'slept around'. Feminist science isn't being taken seriously and the focus is very much on outdated research conducted by straight white males.
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    HarryTHarryT Community Manager Posts: 320 The Mix Regular
    This thread is great - you guys are all inspiring <3
    Hello amazing human (yes, that's YOU). I wish that you could see the amazing person who I see within you  ✨
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    JustVJustV Community Manager Posts: 5,313 Part of The Furniture
    edited April 2023
    How the heck has a month passed since I last responded to this?!

    @M3GANx04 that's such a fascinating whistlestop tour of female sexual liberation. The changes are so stark when you lay them out in that way, and likewise how we still see the echoes of that archaic thinking now, particularly in deeply socially conservative parts of the world.

    Do you mind if I ask: what are you planning to do when you finish uni? Think you'll stick to the passion for women's rights and justice (and if so, how)?

    @Millie2787 your input in the conferences sounds so cool! It's amazing how much more useful those things become when people inject lived experience and expertise. I also think you hit the nail on the head about those smaller changes adding up to a wider social change. I know I'm guilty sometimes of forgetting that everything adds up to keep the world moving, and these things are always incremental. Makes you really respect the grind that people like you put in. :)

    @Amy22 sounds like empathy is a big driver for you, which is awesome. You mentioned in a previous post that you don't think you've done any social change yet. What would you say the barriers are to you doing something you would consider substantial or meaningful?
    The truth resists simplicity.
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    Amy22Amy22 Posts: 3,998 Community Veteran
    Mike wrote: »
    How the heck has a month passed since I last responded to this?!

    @M3GANx04 that's such a fascinating whistlestop tour of female sexual liberation. The changes are so stark when you lay them out in that way, and likewise how we still see the echoes of that archaic thinking now, particularly in deeply socially conservative parts of the world.

    Do you mind if I ask: what are you planning to do when you finish uni? Think you'll stick to the passion for women's rights and justice (and if so, how)?

    @Millie2787 your input in the conferences sounds so cool! It's amazing how much more useful those things become when people inject lived experience and expertise. I also think you hit the nail on the head about those smaller changes adding up to a wider social change. I know I'm guilty sometimes of forgetting that everything adds up to keep the world moving, and these things are always incremental. Makes you really respect the grind that people like you put in. :)

    @Amy22 sounds like empathy is a big driver for you, which is awesome. You mentioned in a previous post that you don't think you've done any social change yet. What would you say the barriers are to you doing something you would consider substantial or meaningful?

    I don't know I think self-motivation and the fear of beind ridculed is something that has gotten in the way of me making actual physical change.
    Just a person who likes pop culture and films
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    JustVJustV Community Manager Posts: 5,313 Part of The Furniture
    To everyone who posted here @Amy22 @M3GANx04 @Millie2787 - do you mind if we use some of your quotes here for social media? We can make them anonymous. :)
    The truth resists simplicity.
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    Millie2787Millie2787 Community Champion Posts: 5,147 Part of The Furniture
    @JustV go for it :)
    Sometimes all you need is one person to believe in you , for you to begin to believe in yourself.
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    Amy22Amy22 Posts: 3,998 Community Veteran
    @JustV sure :)
    Just a person who likes pop culture and films
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