Making Movements – Live from CGI America

[Editor's note: This post was written by Alexa Clay, Knowledge and Learning Manager at Ashoka's Changemakers®.]

It’s day two of CGI America. We’ve talked job creation, STEM education, veterans affairs, and manufacturing. In between large panel discussions, with big shots searching for the soul of America in phrases like “crossroads,” “heartland,” and “competitiveness,” are small groups in ambitious conversation: A woman working to develop young leaders in rural areas of the United States, a museum director from New York looking to make science sexy again, a technologist building local food supply chains in Michigan. These people are here for a simple reason: They want to be part of something bigger. 

As one woman told me over breakfast this morning, “It’s not enough to just have a goal for your own organization. The commitments that we make here are bigger than what any one of us could do on our own.” And over the course of these two days, that’s exactly what takes place. People are thinking with movements in mind, seeking out collaborative opportunities for greater impact.   

But movement-making is no easy exercise. It’s something that we’ve thought quite a lot about at Ashoka’s Changemakers. Social entrepreneurship is now a movement that has matured. So over the course of my experience here, I’ve been reflecting on the insights from our movement that can help shepherd in the new movements being formed at CGI — movements that are working to ensure America’s future prosperity.

The first stage of any real movement has to do with fostering a sense of identity around that field. For example, you’re no longer someone that unreasonably dedicates their life to developing micro-credit for women — you’re a social entrepreneur. Or you’re no longer a NASA scientist working with children after school to build their understanding of aeronautics — you’re a STEM professional. Creating and celebrating an identity is a vital aspect of any new social movement.  But it’s not enough.

Next comes the need to create a sense of accountability around a community of practice. This is where the Clinton Global Initiative and CGI America have focused their efforts. Bringing together diverse networks around themes of work, CGI America helps catalyze a process for thinking about shared audacious goals. Yesterday, for example, the Carnegie Corporation’s Opportunity Equation led a commitment to bring 100,000 new STEM teachers into public schools in the next ten years. This commitment brought in a range of partners who have committed to expanding the movement, creating a funding base of $20 million that will support as many as 100 innovative programs to develop and retain outstanding math and science teachers. This kind of commitment provides an accountability mechanism for the movement.

But then what happens? Following these commitments, how do you ensure sustainability? That’s the next stage, building a sustainable infrastructure around the movement. That means securing and leveraging funding channels, building institutional capacity to service the movement, developing out a strong brand identity around the movement, and tipping mass awareness. In the social entrepreneurship field, for example, we’re currently struggling to really tip awareness. That’s why our vision for “Everyone a Changemaker” has cropped up at this stage in our journey. As the movement of social entrepreneurship has matured, we’re facing a challenge of building stronger linkages with mainstream institutions, and of unlocking the changemaking potential of these institutions. But ensuring that our values are adopted and not co-opted by these institutions is key. Having this challenge is a luxury. It means the movement — and our sphere of influence — is growing.

For those at earlier stages of movement making (including many of those trying to kick-start new initiatives here at CGI) the challenge of thinking with a movement in mind is a fundamentally new exercise. It means thinking about coordinated action and collective success, not just individual imperatives. America may be a country characterized by doctrines of self-interest, individualism, and a spirit of competition, but CGI America asks us to consider a different American ethos. An ethos built around a bigger picture and a collective responsibility.