Dear changemakers,
Welcome to the very first edition of the School of Social Impact Bulletin. This new quarterly newsletter is our way of bringing together the highlights, reflections, and opportunities from across our community. Think of it as both a snapshot of what’s been happening and a way to stay connected to the broader movement of people learning, experimenting, and creating change with us.
🔑 Foundations First: Consolidating Our Free Trainings
In July, our focus turned to empowerment. We explored what it means to align with your inner compass, what “work” really looks like for a changemaker, and I shared insights from my PhD research on empowerment frameworks. This was part of our free monthly workshop on empowerment.
The workshop replay is now part of our Social Impact Foundations training — a curated, free training bundle that pulls together the essential workshops and tools we believe should form the starting point for anyone entering the social change space. By consolidating all of our free training bundles these into a single course, we’ve made navigating the School of Social Impact platform smoother and more accessible for all.
If you haven’t dipped into our free Social Impact Foundations training yet, I encourage you to log in and take a look. These are the building blocks that underpin so much of what we do together.
🔄 Systems Thinking: Our First Live Round
In late August, I hosted a free Systems Thinking Workshop, which received great feedback! I also completely updated the resources and tools in our Ultimate Introduction to Systems Thinking training, so that it was fit for inclusion in the new and improved Social Impact Foundations training.
We also launched the first live round of our 6 week Systems Thinking for Social Changemakers course. We’re now about halfway through, and it’s been inspiring to see the diversity of systems our students are exploring — from mental health in Hackney, London, to children’s play in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Working live with this group has been energising, and it’s a reminder of just how adaptable systems thinking can be across contexts. Whether local, global, or conceptual, these tools help us make sense of complexity and uncover leverage points for change.
🎓 Expanding Reach: Guest Teaching at ANU
Early September brought an exciting milestone: I delivered a live workshop for pollution students, and presented a guest lecture at the Fenner School of Environment & Society at the Australian National University (ANU). Together, we explored how to apply tools like the Theory of Change Canvas and other frameworks to enviornmental challenges.
It’s incredibly motivating to see a new wave of changemakers — university students and emerging leaders in the engineering, tech, agriculture, and enviornment space — already experimenting with these approaches in their research and practice. This felt like a glimpse of the future: where our shared language of social impact is being carried into fresh contexts and disciplines.
🎙️ The Changemaker Q&A Podcast
The Changemaker Q&A Podcast is now officially brought to our community by the School of Social Impact. We are shifitng from having a questions submission form to allowing people to ask and answer eachother's questions. In our dedicated Q&A group in the community hub, members can post their questions in the dedicated Q&A group, and the most compelling ones are answered in full podcast episodes. So, if you have ANY questions about making change happen, feel free to ask them in the Q&A forum and it might get a dedicated podcast episode deep dive!
This quarter, we also began alternating between Q&A epsiodes where I answer your questions, and guest interviews where I get to ask changemakers, experts, and leaders questions about their changemaking work. One of my favourites so far was with Dave Chauhan on the Nautical Leadership Model, where we explored what it means to be a leader in a world of constant change. If you haven’t tuned in yet, it’s a great way to hear ideas, stories, and perspectives from both inside and beyond our community.
✍️ Craft Your Impact Blueprint
Finally, on September 30th, we finished up this quarter by hosting our signature workshop: Craft Your Impact Blueprint. This session walked through the essential steps of clarifying your vision, designing your pathway for change, and grounding your work in practical tools.
The replay is now available in our community for five days only, so if you missed it live, now’s the time to catch up. Otherwise, the replay is part of the expanded Social Impact Foundations.
Looking Ahead
This first Bulletin is a milestone for us. It’s a way of stepping back and seeing not just the individual workshops, podcasts, or lectures, but the bigger picture of how our community is growing and evolving.
As those of us in the Southern Hemisphere begin to move towards the warmth and energy of summer, our colleagues in the Northern Hemisphere prepare to embrace the slower rhythm of winter. Wherever you are in the world, this seasonal shift offers an opportunity to pause, reflect, and harness the energy available to you – whether that means leaning into renewal and expansion, or drawing on a quieter focus – to carry momentum through the remainder of the year.
Here’s to the next quarter of experiments, learning, and collective impact.
With warmth,
Tiyana J
Founder, School of Social Impact
