How do you create meaningful social change? At this year’s Elim Leaders Summit, Iona Ledwidge (pictured above, left) and Megan Reilly (above, right) tackled this key question.
The Trussell Trust, Christians Against Poverty, Love Your Neighbour. Over the past 30 years dozens of faith-based organisations have sprung into life to fight for social justice.
And they are following a well-worn pathway – the church has been in the business of social transformation for centuries – but how do churches and charities bring about meaningful change today? During their seminar at ELS, Iona Ledwidge and Megan Reilly from youth employment charity The Spear Programme looked at key questions for anyone looking to do just that.
Why do we do social action?
If you need motivation to get involved in social action projects, look no further than Isaiah 58:6-12 which begins: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen – to loose the chains of injustice?” These verses reveal an incredible calling for Christians and churches.
“The state has a role to play in supporting and caring for people but we know, as the church, that we are called to do this too,” says Iona.
“It’s our God-given mandate. We’re called to meet the needs of people in our communities in a really practical and tangible way.
“For us at Spear that means supporting someone to move from unemployment into sustained employment. What a significant contribution we are called to make!”
What can the church uniquely do?
The Isaiah passage explains that when we work for social justice our light “will break forth like the dawn”. While many organisations bring about social change, the church can additionally bring the love of God.
“I think of the charity Zarach which is working to alleviate bed poverty,” says Megan.
“They are giving beds, pyjamas and toothbrushes to children who are in bed poverty.
“That’s a really tangible action. When they do that they literally see lightness come into those families. Their faces light up. This is why we have to bring light to the darkness and why the church has to be involved in social change.”
How can we partner, not duplicate?
“You have to think who’s already doing something in the community and how can we partner with them, not duplicate,” says Megan. “We should ask how we can work with others, how can we understand people’s needs and what resources we have available without stretching ourselves too far.”
Are we ambitious enough?
“God is calling us to bigger things, to ambitious things. But that leads to a challenge,” says Iona. “The challenge Isaiah is presenting us with is: are we ambitious enough to expect actual social change?” This was a question the Spear team asked themselves a few years ago when they considered how much of their work was bringing about meaningful change.
“We worked with a consultant and he said, ‘It’s great that 75% of the young people you work with are getting into work or education, but what about the other 25%?’
“He was challenging us to think beyond ourselves, the purpose being to deepen our work with young people.”
What’s your target population?
The consultant challenged the Spear team to define a clear demographic of young people to work with to increase their effectiveness – those who really need their help.
From this came a strong understanding that the programme would help 16 to 24-year-olds who are disadvantaged and facing certain key barriers to employment. It also helped Spear narrow their focus to offer more targeted help, meaning they don’t prioritise graduates, the homeless or those who are aged over 24.
“Refining these targets has made it easier to recruit people,” says Iona.
What are we trying to achieve?
The team also asked themselves what meaningful change they were trying to bring about.
“It was employment, but also education,” says Iona.
“Then we had to challenge ourselves and ask, ‘What are we counting as employment? How many hours? Does cash-in-hand count? Does a zero-hour contract? What do we mean by education?
“We needed to know what we’re talking about when we say we want to help young people have a sustainable life change, because that’s what we’re really interested in.
“We want to be able to say we’re changing young people’s lives for the long-term.”
