The social change ecosystem framework is a tool to clarify values, identify roles, and support organizations, campaigns, and networks committed to solidarity, justice, and equity.

It identifies ten roles that people and organizations often show up in (such as weaver, builder, and storyteller) when they are responding to crises, participating in social change movements, or organizing collectively to advance a campaign or a cause related to equity, justice, and solidarity.

The framework has become a tool used by people and organizations, particularly during a time of unprecedented challenges, from the global pandemic to the 2020 uprisings to climate disasters, to find ways to engage in social change efforts more effectively, collaboratively, and sustainably.

Individuals, organizations, coalitions, taskforces, and networks can all use the framework to sharpen their collaborations and advance social change, such as:

-DEI taskforces

-Educators at all levels

-Nonprofit groups

-Philanthropic institutions

-Coalitions and networks focused on campaigns

-Faith-based institutions

As an individual, you could use the framework to provide insights on inquiries such as: what role(s) am I best suited to play in a particular moment; and how do I sustain my contributions for lasting impact. Organizational representatives could use the framework to provide insights on inquiries such as: do our core values align with our roles and actions; and how do we move from silos to solidarity?

In 2017, I wrote an article on Medium that offered both a visual framework and a set of steps for addressing the family separations, Muslim ban, and immigration raids happening during that time. In 2020, as the pandemic began, I revised the framework to reflect new ideas and examples of how we could play different social change roles during a time of unprecedented crisis. In the wake of the 2020 uprisings, people around the world and organizations in various sectors used the framework to identify collective values and goals for social justice. As I began to use the resources in trainings and workshops with stakeholders in nonprofit, philanthropic, academic, and corporate sectors, I realized that I had much more to share about the framework and its applications. That is what led to the development of Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection.

Thanks for asking. Please check out the Get Involved page for ideas. And, please note the copyright guidelines below as well. As a woman of color creator, Deepa hopes that people will use the framework in accordance with these guidelines.

Please see the sections below on permissible and non-permissible uses.

If you have any questions or doubts, please reach out to Deepa via the Get Involved page or at diyer@buildingmovement.org.

✓ You can use the map, framework, and the guide individually and internally within your organization, workplace, faith group, board, or campus/school for meetings, retreats, orientations, check-ins, evaluations, workshops, classes, self-discovery/group discovery sessions, leadership mapping, and more. The map images you use must be the exact ones that appear in this guide (PDF or hard copy) or on affiliated websites (deepaiyer.com; socialchangemap.com; buildingmovement.org; solidarityis.org; and thickpress.com), complete with copyright information.

✓ You can share, post, and repost the map image, with full attribution, on social media platforms, within emails, newsletters, internal communications, and as part of a list of resources in books or research papers. If posting on social media or on another resource, the map images you use must be the exact ones that appear in this guide (PDF or hard copy) or on affiliated websites (deepaiyer.com; socialchangemap.com; buildingmovement.org; solidarityis.org; and thickpress.com), complete with copyright information. Any post that accompanies the visual image should cite Deepa Iyer, and when possible, tag appropriate handles (@deepaviyer and @BuildingMovementProject on Instagram; @dviyer and @BldngMovement on Twitter).

✓ You can include the framework in internal workshops only after completing a training course with Deepa Iyer.

✗ No adaptations or remixes. None of the material in this framework can be altered or used for individual or organizational benefit. This includes but is not limited to: changing the colors, the text, or the roles; adding artwork or new elements such as logos or handles; or visually reorganizing the roles.

✗ No commercial use is permitted. The framework or any derivations of its content can never be used to accrue money for yourself or your organization, such as charging people or asking for donations in a session that includes the map or framework; or making and selling products based on or including the map or framework. You can use this framework if it’s part of a group of resources you are referencing in a public workshop for pay. But you cannot conduct a public-facing workshop for pay that is solely or in part about this framework -ie. you cannot “workshop” the map.

Can I do a workshop on the map internally with my team or network?
✓ AFTER first doing a training with Deepa, offered a few times a year.

I offer leadership coaching for clients. Can I share the map with my clients as a recommended tool?
✓ YES

I want to include the map as a resource as part of a public-facing workshop.
IT DEPENDS. You can use it if you are simply referencing it as a resource, but not if you are “workshopping” it. If you’re confused, please reach out to Deepa.

I want to translate the map into a different language.
✓ POSSIBLY - please send a draft to Deepa before proceeding.

I want to do a public-facing workshop on the map.
✗ NO - Please reach out to Deepa.

I’m writing a book and I want to include the visual in my book.
✗ NO - but, you are welcome to cite to Social Change Now.