The Sheila McKechnie Foundation will examine a number of burning issues
A new project which aims to create social change in Britain has been unveiled.
The Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) has launched The Social Change Project, a unique and timely project aimed at strengthening civil society's ability to bring about change.
The 15-month initiative is funded by a consortium of independent trusts and foundations, and is built around a new network of civil society organisations which SMK has drawn together.
The project has already hosted a series of workshops to consider key drivers and barriers to social change, looking across a wide variety of case studies from the smoking ban and living wage, to equal marriage and Brexit.
These conversations have already identified a number of burning issues which will now be examined in more depth through a series of events this autumn.
Alongside these discussions, SMK will be collating more detailed case studies to examine how change really happens, and inviting people to share their own personal stories of pursuing change. Ultimately the project hopes to illustrate both the critical role civil society plays in supporting important social reforms, and also the need for our sector to examine more deeply how change has happened in the past in order to strengthen future efforts.
Sue Tibballs, chief executive of the SMK Foundation, said: “We Iive in febrile, uncertain and disconcerting times, especially for those people and organisations seeking to bring about social change.
“We, the civil society, really need to better understand what it is that can create change right now and how we are doing it. Business as usual isn’t an option, so I’m urging anyone who cares about the issue to get involved in this project and really help us produce something that can instigate a step change in how we create social change.”
The Sheila McKechnie Foundation is encouraging anyone passionate about social change to get involved with the project. It is looking for people to share their experiences and insights, help tackle the burning issues, and agree key ways forward.
Conversations will run to early 2018 and the project will bring together the main findings into a set of recommendations to be published next spring.
Anyone interested in how they can get involved and have their say can visit the foundation’s website.
