Make Change Happen
Strengthen the skills you need to work with others to tackle injustice.
17,950 enrolled on this course
Duration
8 weeksWeekly study
3 hours100% online
How it works
Make Change Happen
Learn what drives positive social change in your role as a changemaker
If we want to make lasting social and political change we must understand power dynamics, systems and influencing strategies that can shift the status quo. This free to access course will help you understand the context of the issues you’re passionate about and your existing sources of power and influence.
You’ll be guided by examples of successful international movements and community action, and connect with changemakers worldwide. Ultimately, you’ll finish this course with the skills you need to spot and act upon opportunities, and contribute to the change you want to see in your community and the world.
Syllabus
Week 1
What kind of change are we talking about?
Introduction to the course
Find out about the aims of the course and how to get the most out of it.
Change begins with us
Being an effective changemaker includes an awareness of who we are, what drives our thinking, our power, prejudices and values, and understanding what privileges we have, or don’t have, relative to others.
Understanding change
Change comes in many guises and happens in many ways.
Changemakers and their stories
Changemakers are people who step forward to make a positive difference in their communities or in wider society. We hear from some about how they understand change and why they got involved in making change happen.
Different forms of change
Looking more deeply at the different forms that social and political change can take.
Week 2
Understanding the context of change
What is context?
Understanding the context for change
The change you would like to see
Now is an opportunity for you to reflect on the change that you would like to focus on during the rest of this course, so that you can apply the learning to a real life situation and take action.
Week 3
Taking a power and systems approach
Understanding systems
How systems change, a case study on bringing change to a system, and a power and systems approach.
Defining power
Power - what is it, what different forms does it take and why is it important for changemakers?
Tools for analysing
Understanding where power is held and how it is expressed and used.
Summary
A chance to recap what you've learned and look forward to next week.
Week 4
The power of collective action
Collective action
The power and meaning of collective action, and why it is a critical element in achieving change.
Working in partnership with others
Why working alongside other people and groups can ensure you bring power to your change action.
What drives a changemaker?
Changemakers are often driven by a passion and interest in making change happen aligned to their values. What drives you?
Week 5
Spheres of influence
Understanding influence
Exploring the spheres of influence, control, concern and interest.
Where the power lies
Mapping where the power lies in any situation and identifying where you can most effectively influence change.
Week 6
Developing strong messages for change
Influencing strategies
Developing strong messages that inspire others by appealing to head, heart and hands as part of your influencing strategy.
Developing messages
Storytelling and strong narratives are key to effective influencing and campaigning.
Week 7
Taking action to make change happen
Strategy and tactics
There are a huge array of possible strategies and tactics that you can choose to use to make change happen.
Developing your action plan
Checking your assumptions, recognising the risks and developing your action plan.
Taking action
Taking steps to implement your plan.
Summary
A chance to recap what you've learned and look forward to next week.
Week 8
Tackling challenges and taking your next steps
Reflecting on change
Learning from experience
Overcoming challenges
There are always challenges along the way.
Stay inspired, stay connected and stay focused.
Taking your next steps and connecting with others is a powerful part of your journey as a changemaker.
Summary
A chance to recap what you've learned throughout this course.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Explain key ideas about systems, power and how change happens
- Identify key openings and opportunities to bring about change
- Apply and understand a broad range of ways to bring about change
- Contribute, connect and collaborate with other change makers around the globe
- Develop and increase confidence to organise and lead others to take action for social justice
- Engage in a personal change action
Who is the course for?
This course is aimed at activists and change agents with a personal or professional interest in how change happens, and who want to be more effective at delivering change for good.
Who will you learn with?
Beverly Wakiaga is a Digital Communications Manager at Oxfam GB, passionate about finding unique and innovative ways to share ideas and knowledge on social media.
Carlos is working with Oxfam on climate justice in Latin America. He considers that collective leadership and sharing experiences are key processes to make changes.
Emily is part of the Oxfam team that finds new and engaging ways to share knowledge and learning to support the movement of people against poverty.
I am passionate about promoting safe spaces for women to influence and advocate for their rights. As a feminist I am also engaged in mobilising around gender justice issues and transformative changes.
I work at Oxfam supporting influencing, campaigns and advocacy worldwide. I am inspired by the activism of social movements that make change happen in Latin America and other parts of the world.
Hi, I'm the Communications Manager for Proforest Africa. Having worked as a journalist, I love to connect with people and listen to their stories. Why? Because we can use our stories to drive change.
I work for Oxfam and centre my work on ending the injustice of inequality, as well as an archive dedicated to preserving LGBT+ books, newspaper, and more. (They/he pronouns)
Who developed the course?
The Open University
As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.
Established
1969Location
Milton Keynes, UKWorld ranking
Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
Oxfam
Oxfam is part of a global movement of people, working together to end the injustice of poverty. That means we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor.
Ways to learn | Buy this course | Subscribe & save | Start learning today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $79/one-off payment | $244.99 for a whole year Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Try this course - with limits | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Limited to 8 weeks |
| Access to 1,000+ courses | cross | tick | cross |
| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
| Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$244.99 for a whole year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$79/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Start learning today
Free
Try this course - with limits
- Limited to 8 weeks
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 2 June 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 2 June 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn
Learner reviews
Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.
Get a taste of this course
Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:
Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...
You can use the hashtag #FLMakeChange to talk about this course on social media.
More courses you might like
Learners who joined this course have also enjoyed these courses.
Browse more in Politics & Society
