Pathways for Civic and Social Change
The Pathways for Civic and Social Change describe a range of possibilities by which we can be civically engaged in our communities and create social change. We need people working within all of these pathways to create change, however one person does not need to be involved with each path - it's all about finding what you're interested in, or have knowledge and expertise in. You can also be involved in as many paths as you would like.
The six pathways are:
- Community Engaged Learning and Research: Connecting coursework and academic research to community-identified concerns to enrich knowledge and inform action on social issues.
- Community Organizing and Activism: Involving, educating, and mobilizing individual or collective action to influence or persuade others.
- Direct Service: Working to address the immediate needs of individuals or a community, often involving contact with the people or places being served.
- Philanthropy: Donating or using private funds or charitable contributions from individuals or institutions to contribute to the public good.
- Policy and Governance: Participating in political processes, policymaking, and public governance.
- Social Entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility: Using ethical business or private sector approaches to create or expand market-oriented responses to social or environmental problems.
Used with permission from Haas Center for Public Service, Stanford University
Want to Learn More?
You can learn more about what paths are right for you by taking the Pathways Assessment. Contact amanda.martin@drake.edu to take the assessment and discuss your results, get connected to opportunities on campus and in the community to get involved, and learn ways to talk about your experience on your resume and in interviews.
Click here to see examples of how you can use the Pathways to create social change, with specific examples of how to get involved here at Drake and in the local Des Moines Community.
