ChangemakerXchange gGmbH

As we have passed the halfway mark of this year, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the people who have supported us along our journey. It has truly made a world of difference, enabling us to sustain and grow our efforts to support young changemakers and activists across the globe. Since ChangemakerXchange began as a programme connecting young social innovators under the umbrella of Ashoka (who remain our close collaborator and partner) in 2012, so much has happened.

We set up as an independent non profit entity in 2020, during the depths of the pandemic. The following year, we launched five online regional initiatives for Europe & MENA, Asia & Australia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and for the first time in Latin America, and North America.

https://betterplace-assets.betterplace.org/uploads/project/image/000/113/864/332846/limit_600x450_image.jpg

In late 2021, we resumed in-person activities, beginning with the EmpathyXchange programme in Germany. After more than 18 months of virtual meetings and gatherings, this moment  was a reminder of the unmatched impact that face-to-face encounters can create.

Throughout 2022, we took those connections to the next level, launching three Climate Action Summits in Italy, Egypt, and the USA. We deepened our work around facilitation, reaching the milestone of 150 civil society leaders trained in ChangemakerXchange facilitation skills. We also partnered with Bosch Alumni Network, SOS Children’s Villages, UWC & Melton Foundation to bring our facilitation philosophy to their networks.

2023 marked a milestone for us with the launch of our major global programme Changemakers for the Planet. This allowed us to offer more structured and impactful support to our climate changemakers around the world through capacity building, collaborative projects, and ecosystem activities. The first year of the programme concluded with over 20 of our changemakers attending COP 28 in Dubai, one of the world’s most important climate conferences. We’re excited to continue this programme into 2025. But that’s not all—this year, we’ve also introduced two other new thematic programmes: Changemakers for Democracy and Changemakers for Education.

https://betterplace-assets.betterplace.org/uploads/project/image/000/113/864/332842/limit_600x450_image.jpg

Our ecosystem initiative, The Possibilists, has been another significant area of work since we established it in 2021. Together with The Possibilists Alliance members—over 20 of the world’s largest youth innovation networks — we’ve now already published two reports on the challenges and needs of young social initiators. And we’re now already working on our third study, which we can’t wait to share with you in summer 2025. 

We are immensely grateful for the generous support that has fuelled our activities to serve young changemakers and the social innovation ecosystem. A very special thanks goes to all the support we’ve received on this platform, as financing for our core infrastructural costs is always the hardest and most precious to secure and gives us the launchpad for all the impact we have in the world. Your belief in our mission keeps us going, and we’re grateful to have you with us on this journey. Here’s to continuing to make a difference together. 


Thank you for being such an essential part of our story. 

Yours sincerely,
The ChangemakerXchange Team