The official launch of the Possibilists Directory took place during the occasion of the “Let’s Unleash the Full Potential of Young Changemakers Together!” session at the ChangeNOW Summit 2022 in Paris.
The session’s overarching takeaway was that we need to change how young people are supported. It then took us through the process of their study conducted last year, involving nearly 800 Possibilists in 137 countries.
Who are the Possibilists?
According to the website, they are “changemakers, activists, social innovators, disruptors, dreamers, doers, people who believe social and environmental change is possible.”
What is the study?
A study in 2021 was conducted to understand youth changemakers’ lives.
Here are two findings of the study:
- Education is mostly what’s on their minds: these young changemakers believe that education is one of the most important factors in making a significant change and in closing the inequality gap.
- Young changemakers put a strong emphasis on “their intrinsic desire to improve the lives of others on a global and local scale.” This desire sometimes overshadows their own needs to get a job.
Here are three key challenges emanating from the findings.
These critical issues deserve our immediate attention; we need to change the way in which young people are supported. Youth who crave change and act on them are prone to face:
- Financial insecurity
- Feeling siloed and tokenised based on their youth and years of experience
- Juggling several responsibilities at the same time, and
- Burnout
The second iteration of the study will be at the end of 2022, with the aim to include new themes (e.g. climate change) and regions.
The launch of the Possibilists Directory
The Possibilists Directory is a direct response to the points raised in the study. According to the Possibilists themselves, it is “a global database of grant-making, capacity building and support programs for young changemakers…from changemakers to changemakers.” In its current beta version, you can submit or edit an offer for changemakers.
The Possibilists Alliance
Initiated by ChangemakerXchange, The Possibilists is an alliance of 16 of the world’s largest youth social innovation networks. They have a combined total reach of thousands of young changemakers, activists and startup social entrepreneurs globally. Together we deliver real insights into the lives and work of changemakers and co-create systemic solutions to improve the conditions for Possibilists everywhere.
