Our Mission

To inspire young people from diverse backgrounds to be creative and entrepreneurial and to take ownership of driving change in their communities.

INSPIRATION, NETWORKS & SKILLS

“Drivers for Change was absolutely amazing. Nothing like any program I have attended. It definitely changed my life and the way I view social change. Having come from a non-profit organisation that was not sustainable it was everything I needed.

I learned so much from this program. I learned how to set up a social enterprise, finance it, market it, sustain it and also on how other young people are involved in incredible social enterprises.”

Karabo Mokgonyana, Johannesburg, Drivers for Change 2018 participant

We inspire, upskill and connect young people that are passionate about community-led social change.

The impact of the journey

A journey to creative social action

We inspire young people to start new projects that tackle issues in their communities. We kick-start this process by taking a diverse group of young people, who might not usually meet each other, on a unique journey to different UK communities. The trip is packed full of project visits, workshops and talks that explore the different approaches to positive social change that are happening in the UK.

100 change drivers

As a result of the journey, the participants build a vibrant network, acquire new skills and get buckets of inspiration. They return to their communities inspired and ready to play their part in creating social change.

A connected community supporting each other to succeed

Our team provides the participants with ongoing support in areas such as business planning and personal development, and partnerships provide pathways to further development opportunities. Being part of this connected community means that the ideas for social enterprises, campaigns and community projects developed by the group have the best chance of success.

Impact data

We're in the process of gathering more impact data from the 2018 journey. We believe that we need to monitor the participant's progress over a 1-year period to see the real impact of the pilot project. However, our early feedback has been brilliant (check out some of our participant's happy tweets below!) and we have some initial stats back from the journey - keep reading!

We're keen to build on this initial data with additional information about what the participants go on to do in the next year as a result of taking part in the programme and joining the network. We continue to work closely with the group to support the development of them and their ideas. Our objective is to help each participant on an individual level and help them to map their own pathway. This means that success is defined by the group as each of them has their own way they want to create change. Roughly speaking, the mix of the group is one-third aspiring social entrepreneurs, one-third campaigners and issue champions and one-third social impact career starters.

Please check back soon for an update!

Headline stats

97%

feel they will be a better leader as a direct result of taking part in Drivers for Change

88%

feel their communication and storytelling skills improved because of the journey

97%

agree or strongly agree that they will create a larger social impact because of Drivers for Change

94%

agree or strongly agree to feeling more able to create lasting change

91%

agree or strongly agree that their confidence in their leadership ability has grown because of Drivers for Change

100%

feel that they are better equipped to become a purpose-driven leader

Stats taken from Akou Impact Report 2018.

Outside Westminster Abbey on our final day

Working outside in York on Drivers for Change social enterprise projects

The last 12 days have been eye opening! Participating in an incredible journey across the U.K. with @Change_Drivers & a group of other young changemakes from across the UK & beyond made it a transformative experience & was great to end at @UKHouseofLords for our pitch #DfCJourney pic.twitter.com/sFm1jIZrHZ

— Consolata (@consolata_jw) July 3, 2018

The morning after #DfcJourney, I can’t quite believe how 12 days can transform your professional & personal outlook on your own life & the world. Thanks aren’t enough for the wonderful people who’ve made it amazing, know this is just the start for the networks we’ve built 💪✨ pic.twitter.com/lMQv3qm1R3

— Jenny Raw (@RawJenny) July 3, 2018

I honestly cannot believe it’s over! @Change_Drivers has been an incredibly transformative experience for me and I’m now, more than ever, determined to make the #change I want to see in the world! I’ve also made friends for life - which is a little bonus. #WatchThisSpace pic.twitter.com/wvjNojRelZ

— Tom McEachan (@TomMcEachan) July 2, 2018

theory of change

Our theory of change explains how the journey provides skills, inspiration and networks.

We'll be measuring our impact along the way and once the journey is over we'll continue to measure our impact over a period of a year. This will give us a true understanding of what the lasting impact of the journey is on specific UK communities and the individuals that took part.

VIEW OUR THEORY OF CHANGE (PDF)