Ashoka Changemakers: Connecting People to Solve the World’s Biggest Challenges
Across the world, people are finding practical ways to tackle social and environmental problems. Ashoka Changemakers is part of a wider effort to identify these ideas, connect the people behind them and help promising solutions reach more communities.
What is Ashoka Changemakers?
Ashoka Changemakers is an initiative associated with Ashoka, the global organisation that supports social entrepreneurs and promotes a world in which everyone can contribute to positive change. Ashoka was founded in 1980 by Bill Drayton, who helped popularise the term “social entrepreneur” to describe people applying entrepreneurial approaches to social problems.
Changemakers focuses on collaboration and innovation. Its work has included open competitions and challenges that invite individuals and organisations to share solutions to specific issues. These initiatives can bring together people from different countries, sectors and backgrounds, helping them exchange knowledge and build partnerships.
How the approach works
Rather than treating social change as the responsibility of a single organisation, the Changemakers approach recognises that progress often depends on many people working together. A challenge can give innovators a way to present their ideas, learn from others and attract attention from potential partners, funders or supporters.
The solutions explored through such initiatives cover a wide range of areas, including education, health, economic opportunity, human rights and environmental sustainability. The emphasis is not only on a compelling idea, but also on how it addresses a real need and whether it can be adapted or expanded to benefit more people.
Why social innovation matters
Many complex problems have no single, simple answer. Social innovators often work close to the communities affected, giving them valuable insight into what is needed and what may work in practice. By sharing successful approaches and encouraging collaboration, initiatives such as Ashoka Changemakers can help useful ideas travel beyond their original setting.
This kind of work also highlights the importance of “systems change”. Instead of responding only to the immediate effects of a problem, social entrepreneurs may seek to change the underlying rules, practices or attitudes that allow it to persist. That can involve working with communities, public services, businesses and policymakers.
Part of a wider movement
Ashoka Changemakers sits within Ashoka’s broader network of social entrepreneurs, partners and supporters. Ashoka’s work includes identifying and supporting leading social entrepreneurs, encouraging young people to develop the skills to create change, and promoting collaboration across society.
Its central idea is that positive change is not limited to a small group of specialists. When people have the opportunity to understand a problem, take initiative and work with others, they can help shape solutions in their own communities.
Looking ahead
Social challenges continue to evolve, and so does the need for fresh thinking and cooperation. Ashoka Changemakers offers one way to bring ideas and people together, making it easier to discover promising approaches and learn from experience. Its wider ambition is to support a culture in which everyone has the confidence and capacity to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable future.
9 Tips for Creating Lasting Change with Ashoka Changemakers
- Start with a clear social or environmental challenge.
- Listen to the people most affected.
- Focus on lasting, systemic change.
- Explain your idea in plain English.
- Show evidence that your approach works.
- Build partnerships with local communities.
- Make your project inclusive and accessible.
- Share lessons, including what did not work.
- Explore Ashoka Changemakers’ network and opportunities.
Start with a clear social or environmental challenge.
Start with a clear social or environmental challenge. Define the problem you want to address, who is affected and why it matters. A focused description will help you identify the people and communities most involved, understand the causes of the issue and develop a solution that responds to a genuine need. Keep the challenge specific enough to guide action, while allowing room to learn and adapt as you go.
Listen to the people most affected.
Listening to the people most affected by a challenge is essential to creating solutions that work. Their lived experience can reveal what is really needed, which barriers are often overlooked and why well-intentioned approaches may fall short. Involve people from the outset, make space for different perspectives and treat their knowledge as a vital part of the process. When solutions are shaped with communities rather than simply for them, they are more likely to be relevant, trusted and lasting.
Focus on lasting, systemic change.
Focus on lasting, systemic change by looking beyond immediate relief to the underlying causes of a problem. Ask what rules, attitudes or practices need to change so that the issue is less likely to persist, and involve the people and organisations best placed to make that change. A strong solution should meet an urgent need while also creating a model that communities can sustain and adapt over time.
Explain your idea in plain English.
Explain your idea in plain English. Use clear, everyday words to describe the problem you want to solve, how your idea works and who it will help. Avoid jargon and complicated terms: a straightforward explanation makes it easier for people from different backgrounds to understand your approach, see its value and decide how they might support it.
Show evidence that your approach works.
Show evidence that your approach works by explaining what has changed as a result of your work. Use clear, relevant information such as measurable outcomes, examples from the people or communities involved, and findings from evaluations or research. Where possible, include results over time and explain how you know the changes are linked to your approach. Be honest about limitations and lessons learned: credible evidence helps others understand the impact of your idea and whether it could work in a different setting.
Build partnerships with local communities.
Building partnerships with local communities helps ensure that solutions are shaped by the people who understand local needs best. Listen to residents, community groups and local organisations from the outset, and involve them in planning, decision-making and delivery. This builds trust, draws on local knowledge and makes initiatives more relevant and sustainable. Strong partnerships also help share resources and skills, so positive change can continue long after a project begins.
Make your project inclusive and accessible.
Make your project inclusive and accessible by considering who might face barriers to taking part, and involving those people in shaping your approach from the outset. Use clear, plain language, offer information in suitable formats, and consider practical needs such as cost, transport, timing, language and accessibility for disabled people. Creating a welcoming environment where different perspectives are valued can help more people participate, strengthen your project and ensure its benefits reach the communities it aims to support.
Share lessons, including what did not work.
Sharing lessons means being open about the whole journey, not just the successes. By explaining what did not work, why it fell short and what changed as a result, changemakers can help others avoid the same pitfalls and make better-informed decisions. Honest reflection builds trust, encourages learning and helps effective ideas grow.
Explore Ashoka Changemakers’ network and opportunities.
Explore Ashoka Changemakers’ network to connect with people and organisations working on social innovation around the world. Discover opportunities to share ideas, learn from others and find potential collaborators who can help develop solutions to social and environmental challenges. Check Ashoka’s current programmes and channels to see what opportunities are available and how you can get involved.