The Changemaker's Guide

Encouraging festival-goers to turn inspiration into action

What

Multimedia installation

Shown at

Dutch Design Week

When

2022

Services

Creative outputs

Activations

There are many ways to change the world, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to start

Research with young people has shown that one of the main barriers to getting involved in social action or active citizenship is a lack of signposting. Young people don’t know where to start and lack a sense of individual ownership and efficacy over the process of making change.

What issues to tackle? What approaches to take? And why me? There is so much uncertainty that the default response is often to do nothing. The Changemaker’s guide is an ongoing intervention and research project that investigates our collective capacity to take action to create the futures we want.

We developed a playful personality test to help people understand their own way to make change

Drawing from prior research into change making, we developed a framework of eight different changemaker archetypes. Each one has their own unique skills, traits and simple recommendations for how to start making local level change. Why not take the quiz to find out which type of changemaker you are?

We exhibited the project at the Dutch Design Week where each changemaker received a guide with recommendations for things to see at the festival, and tangible steps to start making change afterwards.

We took 2000 visitors on a personal changemaking journey

Around half our ‘quiz-takers’ wanted to stay and chat at length after getting their quiz result. Whether they agreed or not with their changemaker type (thankfully most people did) the quiz and guide together were like having a mirror held up to them. It forced reflection and we listened.

We are using what we’ve heard to shape the next iteration of the Changemaker’s guide. We are in the process of developing our model of change and scaling the project to help more people make that first step towards changemaking.

As a 'caretaker', I really like the considerations about being "big on love." It's nice to see the love and consideration you all put into this project. It lets strangers like myself from across the world feel understood, intrigued and inspired.

Adrian

DDW visitor

“This project forces people to really think and engage. It is challenging and it makes you think about whether you match the persona that you get.”

CG1

DDW visitor

“I can totally see [that I'm the educator]. It’s actually really empowering. I’ve been thinking about studying design education and this gives me the extra confidence.”

CG2

DDW visitor

“As a caretaker I am bad at following my own advice. Luckily I have a network of caretaker friends who all look after each other. You need that network.”

CG3

DDW visitor

“The project is about giving you confidence as a springboard to judge the skills you already - saying I have these skills and this is how I can use them In the best way!”

CG4

DDW visitor

“We are doing a school project on the theme of exploring. This stall was amazing as we got to explore ourselves our own ways of making change.”

CG5

DDW visitor

"The quiz makes you think about both how you look at yourself and also how other people look at you. At first I wondered why I got the caretaker but now I have read it I think it could be really valuable to take a new step in how I perceive and manifest myself."

CG6

DDW visitor