Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
ABOUT ASHOKA AND THE STORY MOSAIC
What is the Spiritual Changemakers Story Mosaic?
The Spiritual Changemakers Story Mosaic is a digital tool that Ashoka created to gather and display the stories of changemakers from around the world who live and practice their spirituality as love and respect in action for the good of all. Participating in the Story Mosaic allows you to be eligible for awards and gain access to special opportunities designed by Ashoka and partners at the intersection of spirituality and changemaking.
Is Ashoka a religious organization?
No. Ashoka is a non-religious and independent organization that identifies and supports the world's leading social entrepreneurs, learns from the patterns in their innovations, and mobilizes a global community that embraces these new frameworks to build an "everyone a changemaker world. The Spiritual Changemakers Initiative engages with those social entrepreneurs, spiritual innovators, and changemakers who are inspired and shaped by their spirituality to create change for the good of all. You can read more about the Spiritual Changemakers Initiative here.
Can I nominate people to tell their story?
Yes! Please reach out to your friends and networks directly so that they can submit their own stories! There's an incredible power that comes from claiming our personal story and we hope that the process of storytelling will be as impactful for you as it will be for us to meet you!
Where will I be able to see the stories?
After you create an account you will be able to click on a section called “Discover” and navigate the stories that have been submitted to the Story Mosaic.
If I speak a language other than English, can I submit my story?
Yes. Please submit your story as a video on YouTube. Unfortunately, currently we are not able to receive written stories in a language other than English. Only video.
Do I need to have a pre-existing project in order to apply?
Yes. We are looking for Spiritual Changemakers who are already putting their ideas into action. It doesn't matter the scale of the impact that you have had so far, as long as you have begun taking action.
What is an early bird deadline? If I don’t apply by the early bird deadline, can I still apply later?
Yes, you can apply at any time before March 15, 2023 (11:59 PM EST). The early bird deadline is February 28, 2023 (11:59 PM EST). Applying before the Early Bird deadline increases your chances of being selected as an awardee for Soularize, since 30% of the total Story Mosaic awardee for the Soularize gathering will be selected from the Early Bird submissions.
When will the awardees be announced?
March 31st, 2023. We will announce the selected stories on the platform and will be in communication with participants via email.
Who is eligible to apply?
We are looking for changemakers who consider themselves spiritual, faith-inspired or religious. Because of privacy regulations, we must limit the applicants to people over the age of 18.
Do I have to be an Ashoka Fellow to apply to this challenge?
No, it is not necessary to be an Ashoka Fellow to apply.
I work with a team - can multiple people in my team submit an application for our project?
Yes. A team may choose a representative to apply as an individual, or each member of a team may submit an individual application. Your story will be reviewed as an individual and will not impact the chances of other team members that participate.
ABOUT THE AWARDS
What is Soularize?
In May 2023, Ashoka will join with Soularize, Presencing Institute, and CoCreative to co-host Soularize, a three-day, in-person gathering for Spiritual Changemakers who are influencing positive change at scale. The Soularize gathering is NOT a professional networking conference, but a catalytic event that will engage the participants in collaboration opportunities, enable them to develop insights, and grow in “action confidence”, a term used by our partners at the Presencing Institute (u-school), who will also be facilitating Soularize, to describe the space of possibility from where we take action to transform the world. Soularize participants will identify their personal and collective role in influencing our Spiritual Systems to enable a world where Everyone is a Changemaker. Soularize will celebrate and accelerate innovative approaches to spiritual leadership, gather those building networks of spiritual and faith-inspired changemakers, and enable pathways for building community and taking strategic action to address some of the most pressing issues of our times.
The format of the event will allow us to access the intelligences of mind, heart, and body using a variety of methods including mindfulness, “social arts”, reflection, quiet time, generative dialogue, music and more. Soularize will hold space for the participants to make sense of the lessons learned and enable personal reflections and mindset shifts to grow as leaders. Additionally, participants will decide on strategic action routes to build five Common Cause Communities addressing issues of importance to the Spiritual Changemakers network.
Soularize will require active participation and openness to collaborate closely across faith traditions and cultures to ensure a safe space of trust and belonging. It is an opportunity to learn and contribute to a larger movement of Spiritual Changemakers worldwide. This is an invitation-only event. Participating in the Story Mosaic is the way to apply to be part of Soularize.
What does the award for Soularize involve?
We will invite the selected Spiritual Changemakers to attend Soularize on May 23-25 in Orange, California (USA), and waive the event fee. While we cannot commit to travel support, there may be some funds to assist in ensuring those invited can attend. Stay tuned!
I can't make the dates for Soularize. Can I still submit my story?
Yes. You can absolutely submit your story to the Story Mosaic and be considered for the other awards and opportunities that we have designed for Spiritual Changemakers. Inside your application there will be a checkbox to indicate if you want to also apply to Soularize. If you are not available during the dates of Soularize, don't apply to Soularize.
What is the Spiritual Changemakers Community?
One of the awards is an invitation to join the next cohort of our Spiritual Changemakers Community. Starting with a Masterclass, the Spiritual Changemakers Community is an online program for selected changemakers to grow, form strong relationships, and increase their impact. Our community gathers changemakers who have either started an initiative or organization or have an idea that they are actively developing. This is a free online program for changemakers from diverse spiritual backgrounds to grow, collaborate, and take action together with changemakers worldwide.
If my submission gets selected, where else can my story be shown?
Besides being displayed in the Story Mosaic (which you can navigate when you create an account), your story might be selected to appear on Ashoka's website and other Ashoka channels. You can check out our current website here.
ABOUT ASHOKA AND THE STORY MOSAIC
How does the application process work?
Applications are submitted through this online platform. To apply, create an account and click the "+Add Story" button underneath the header banner. This will prompt you to submit your story. You can submit your story up until the final application deadline (11:59 PM ET on March 15, 2023).
I am having trouble applying online OR I don’t have consistent access to the internet to update and edit my application OR I’m having a technical issue while signing up or with my application. What should I do?
No problem! Reach out to our team at any time before the final deadline on March 15, 2023 and we will troubleshoot with you. You can write us an email to spiritualchangemakers@ashoka.org.
I published my story but see a typo. Can you help me fix it?
You can make edits to your story directly on the platform up until the final deadline on March 15 (11:59 PM EST). To do that, first make sure you are logged in and click on the button "Edit" on the right side of the page above the timeline, then click on the name of the task you wish to edit (e.g. "Write your story here"). Now click on the 3-dot icon in the corner of the card, select the "Edit" option, and make your edits. Done! No need to re-submit your application, you just have to do it once.
If you submit before February 28 (Early Bird deadline), we will consider your edits done by that date as your final submission. To allow for the most fair and equitable review process, you will not be able to make any edits after the deadline.
Why won't my application submit?
Check your character count. If your character count is exactly at “0,” try adding or subtracting a “space” (a character) and submit again.
What type of image are you looking for me to upload?
This is up to you! The best images will be interesting from a normal viewing distance (not too small to understand at a glance) and suggest the nature of your Spiritual Changemaking initiative. The image will appear as a square in the tapestry of all the stories submitted, and people will be able to click on your square to read or watch your story. Be sure you have permission from anyone in the photo before you upload it and remember that all images uploaded are in the public portion of the application. This means that images will be visible to all changemakers who create an account for the Spiritual Changemakers Mosaic, as well as to all who view your story on our website and channels.
What size does the image need to be?
The file size for the banner and card images that will be displayed with your project on our platform cannot exceed 5 Megabytes. The file also needs to be formatted appropriately (types: .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tiff).
I have more questions – who should I contact?
You can contact us with additional questions at spiritualchangemakers@ashoka.org. You can also message us on Instagram.
ABOUT SPREADING THE WORD
I want to send this opportunity to my network and friends, do you have more information?
Check out Ashoka's social media accounts and share the posts about the Story Mosaic with every Spiritual Changemaker you know:
We can also send you more information via email to forward to your organization. Please write us an email to spiritualchangemakers@ashoka.org and we will send you what we have!