Time for Change: Dream, Act, Change Our World

Educational Equity Through Changemaking

First Book, the largest online community of educators serving kids in poverty, and Ashoka, the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs, launched Time for Change: Dream, Act, Change Our World, an initiative designed to further educational equity through changemaking made possible by fine watchmaking manufacturer, Audemars Piguet. The initiative kicks off with a new First Book Accelerator resource for educators that introduces changemaking and suggests practical ways to inspire students to become changemakers for their schools and their communities.

Our world of accelerated change requires everyone, regardless of geography, race, or socio-economic background, to adapt to and create change for the common good. The initiative will address the opportunity and resource gap that limits many young people from low-income and historically excluded communities from solving the problems they care about, building from their unique perspectives and lived experiences.

Time for Change: Dream, Act, Change Our World will launch in the U.S. and expand internationally in 2023.

Changemaking Is a Mindset

Changemaking is a mindset and an approach to life that addresses today’s pressing challenges and injustices through the application of four key abilities: conscious empathy, teamwork, changemaking leadership, and changemaking action. They can also play out by making a positive difference, noticing injustices and inefficiencies, and taking the initiative to address them. Changemaking projects can be far-reaching and complex, like building a powerful social movement. Changemaking can also be local and focused, like reducing food waste in your school cafeteria.

Our Vision

Time for Change: Dream, Act, Change Our World is founded on the understanding that a world of accelerated change requires everyone, regardless of geography, race, or socio-economic background to adapt to and create change for the common good. The initiative will address the opportunity and resource gap that limits many young people from low-income and historically excluded communities from solving the problems they care about.

“Our vision is a world in which all young people, particularly those from low-income and historically excluded communities, grow up with the support and resources to thrive as lifelong, dynamic changemakers, equipped to solve problems large and small in their families, communities, and beyond,” said Kyle Zimmer, President, CEO, Co-founder of First Book, and a Senior Ashoka Fellow. “Thanks to this partnership with Audemars Piguet and Ashoka, we can bring this vision to life.”

The initiative will convey the importance, elements, and values of changemaking to First Book’s Network of more than 575,000 educators before presenting these concepts to young people.

The initiative will help young people build on their unique perspectives and lived experiences to solve the problems they care about. It will do this by equipping educators with new practical tools, books, and step-by-step guidance for nurturing changemaking in their students and will showcase stories of young people and their ideas for making positive changes in their classrooms, communities, and the world beyond. At this time of tremendous change and opportunity, this effort will catalyze a movement to make changemaking the norm for all young people.

Inspiring the Next Generation: Educator Tools for Fostering Changemaking in Students

As part of an ongoing Time for Change initiative, First Book has created new, FREE resources that educators can use to help create a changemaking mindset in their students. A Guide for Inspiring Young Changemakers is a toolkit filled with lessons and activities and the Changemakers in Action resource is a video series that features stories from real student changemakers.  First Book hopes these resources will help educators to explore their role in creating a generation of changemakers and students to begin their changemaking journeys.