Author shares toolkit for driving social change

Author, speaker and social change leader Catherine Alonzo released a new book, “The Changemaker’s Toolkit,” this year. The book focuses on the potential that exists to drive meaningful social impact even in today’s uncertain, rapidly changing world.

While the book explores why hope is fading, it also reveals how today’s conditions offer unprecedented opportunities for impact.

“I think, simply put, social impact is about imagining the world as you believe it should be and then taking action toward that world,” Alonzo said. “And it matters because the systems that we live within shape our everyday lives. They impact where we can go to school, the access that we have in terms of health care and jobs. And so social impact is not this abstract concept, but in fact something that shapes our daily lives and our futures for ourselves, our families and our communities.”

To harness this potential, Alonzo provides a framework and four powerful tools that can be used throughout a changemaking career to move forward with purpose when optimism is under threat.

“Hope is not blind optimism. That is not what I mean when I talk about hope. What I mean is it’s a choice. It’s a choice to believe that you can make a difference, and that change is possible. Even if you might have a million reasons not to believe that on a daily basis,” Alonzo said.

Alonzo includes examples from the history of societal change and interviews with people working on the frontlines of social impact to inspire her readers’ own changemaking efforts.

“People are the engine that make the progress happen, and hope is the fuel, and hope and action can look at a lot of different ways. It can look like showing up the day after defeat or calling somebody and offering them support,” Alonzo said.

Visit her website to learn more about Alonzo or her book, “The Changemaker’s Toolkit.”