The kind of change we seek requires personal, social and institutional transformation; these are inter-related.

Personal transformation (e.g. moving from a sense of victimhood to a sense of agency) is likely when people:

• recognize their human rights are being denied
• understand that those rights are codified in law, or should be
• discover that others care and that they are not alone
• have the opportunity to discuss how things in their situations “are”, and to articulate how things “ought  to be”
• are inspired to take action to secure their own rights and the rights of others.

Personal transformation, alone, does not necessarily lead to social change. However, a transformed view of world and self, in the context of people moving in concert with each other, increases the likelihood that people can be mobilized to take risks on behalf of themselves and others.

This mobilization, in turn, awakens wide-spread awareness of injustice and changed attitudes regarding unsustainable social and environmental conditions. As more people become conscious of the need for social change, and their own capacity and responsibility for creating it, they bring pressure to bear on existing institutions and their policy frameworks. This leads to possible legal protections and redress of rights violations.

The creation of new social realities and legal respect of human rights leads to further personal transformation and community change and development. As this cycle of personal, social, legal and institutional transformation continues, the entire society is transformed into one which in which all people experience their connection to each other, all people’s human rights are understood, respected and protected, and people are able to respect and protect the natural world of which they are a part.

Education and the development of effective teaching and learning methods are critical components of the personal and social transformations we seek. There is a vibrant, dynamic relationship between effective grassroots practice and analysis of what makes those practices effective and replicable. Grassroots leaders, movement builders, activists, educators, and “ordinary” citizens have rich experiences and a deep body of knowledge that is often “local” and “tacit.” We believe that offering collective spaces for reflective dialogues and peer-to-peer learning communities both improves practice and deepens the body of knowledge about how such change occurs. When people rigorously capture, share and refine practices for transformative change, they are engaged in important research.

We believe that deep, relevant knowledge is produced when scholars and those “working in the field” study and learn together, and that the dissemination of this knowledge in a variety of forms (both scholarly and popular) can play an important role in transformative change.

We believe that this cycle of learning and transformation applies across the human life span, from youth through adulthood. Even very young children can effectively learn about human rights, master non-violent principles and strategies, and be supported to take action to “set things right.” In fact, acquiring such perspectives and habits at a young age helps children grow into adults who are more likely to believe in and act for human rights for all.

We understand that shared dissatisfaction with circumstances and education do not automatically create a sense of shared purpose, a mobilized community or effective action. Effective action also requires effective leadership. We believe that successful social change movements do not depend solely on heroic, charismatic leaders, but rather, require the recognition and development of the leadership capacity of large numbers of ordinary people working throughout all elements of the movement and in their communities. We believe such leadership can be fostered through the cycles of personal and social transformation described above.