Creating Social Change at KU + Beyond
Thank you for engaging with our content about creating social change at KU and beyond! On this page, you will find links and details for information shared in our video, as well as additional resources that might be helpful in navigating KU this fall.
Social Change Wheel
The Social Change Wheel is a tool used to demonstrate the various ways individuals can contribute to creating social change in their communities.
Pathways to Service
The Pathways to Service model, similar to the Social Change Wheel, describes the variety of ways people can use their knowledge, skills, and talents to improve their communities.
Involvement Opportunities + Resources by Social Change Strategy
Click through the various social change strategies to learn more about the opportunities on and off campus to get involved in that strategy.
Definition: Acting on one’s values and civic commitments in one’s personal and professional life (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- KU Beekeeping Club (watch our spotlight on the KU Beekeeping Club)
- Rotaract KU
Resources:
- Protect KU
- KU Community Tool Box: Learning to be an Ally for Diverse Groups and Backgrounds
Definition: Exchanging and evaluating different ideas and approaches around particular issues in a public setting. Learning about the experiences and stories of others by listening fully and actively (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
Dole Institute of Politics Student Advisory Board (watch our spotlight on the Dole Institute)
Resources:
- Project Pericles: Deliberative Dialogue Discussion
- Campus Compact: Building Democratic Skills through Deliberative Dialogue
Definition: Bringing people together to act collectively in their shared interest or toward a common goal (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- Center for Community Outreach
- KU Community Garden (watch our spotlight on the KU Community Garden)
Resources:
- Racial Equity Tools: Community Organizing
- KU Community Tool Box: Strategies for Community Change and Improvement
Definition: Supporting an idea or cause through public and private communications, and collecting evidence to support one’s position (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- ACLU at KU
- KU Campus Cupboard (watch our spotlight on the KU Campus Cupboard)
- HEAL KU
- Student United Way
- Student Senate
University Offices and Academic Departments:
- Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center (SAPEC)
- Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity (ETCWGE)
Resources:
- KU Community Tool Box: Principles of Advocacy
- KU Community Tool Box: Using Social Media for Digital Advocacy
Definition: Strengthening the capacity of local residents and associations to work together by supporting opportunities for interpersonal connection (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- Camp Kesem
- Out in STEM at KU (oSTEM) (watch our spotlight on oSTEM)
- Students United for Reproductive and Gender Equity (SURGE)
University Offices and Academic Departments:
Resources:
- KU Community Tool Box: Understanding Culture and Diversity in Community Building
- Racial Equity Tools: Community Building
Definition: Social innovation focuses on fairer and more sustainable solutions to social problems. Social enterprises are organizations using market-based solutions to address social problems (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- KU Campus Cupboard (watch our spotlight on the Center for Community Outreach's Campus Cupboard program)
- Nonprofit Service Club
University Offices and Academic Departments:
Resources:
- Development Impact + You: Social Innovation Toolkit
- Stanford University: Social Entrepreneurship Hub
Definition: Donating money to increase the well-being of humankind, advance another social good, or support non-profit or community organizations (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- The Big Event
- Camp Kesem (watch our spotlight on Camp Kesem)
- HEAL KU
University Offices and Academic Departments:
Resources:
- KU Community Tool Box: Planning for Sustainability
- National Council of Nonprofits: Fundraising Resources
- LaunchKU
Definition: Acting to provide economic opportunities and improve social conditions in sustainable ways (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
University Offices and Academic Departments:
- KU School of Business: Small Business Development Council
- KU Center for Community Health and Development
Resources:
- Community Action Partnership: Community Economic Development
- KU Community Tool Box: Community (Locality) Development
Definition: Expressing public, visible disagreement with a situation or policy, often in a large group setting (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
University Offices and Academic Departments:
Resources:
- Student Conduct and Community Standards: KU Protest Considerations
- KU Community Tool Box: Organizing Public Demonstrations
- KU Community Tool Box: Organizing a Boycott
Definition: Mobilizing others to participate in and influence public policy through formal political channels – and participating yourself (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
watch our spotlight on voting and formal political activities
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
Resources:
- Kansas Secretary of State: Kansas Voter Information
- Rock the Vote
- KU Community Tool Box: Registering Voters
- KU Community Tool Box: Lobbying Decisionmakers
Definition: Bringing people together to act collectively in their shared interest or toward a common goal (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- Lawrence Freedgin Kansas (watch our spotlight on Lawrence Freedgin Kansas)
- Lawrence Mutual Aid
Resources:
- Mutual Aid Hub: Mutual Aid Resources
Definition: Addressing immediate needs by providing assistance, often through churches, schools, social service agencies, and nonprofits (Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact, Social Change Wheel 2.0 Toolkit).
On and Off-Campus Organizations:
- Alternative Breaks
- Center for Community Outreach
- LEAD UP (watch our spotlight on LEAD UP)
- United Way of Douglas County
- Kansas Volunteer Commission
Resources:
- Volunteer KU
- Volunteer Douglas County
- KU Center for Service Learning: Principles of Ethical Service
Acknowledgements:
Thank you to Victoria Celli and Logan Stenseng for assisting the KU Center for Service Learning in gathering these student stories and resources.
Thank you to the students that shared their stories: Vaughn Gessley, Emily Depew, Amanda Nguyen, Aroog Khaliq, Ashley Wojciechowski, Nathan Do, Kim Vu, Yasmin Edrees, Victoria Celli, Logan Stenseng, Jacob LeMeunier, Sayan Grover, and Shalom Lee.
Social Change Wheel 2.0 by Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.