Initiatives of Change UK-School for Changemakers

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School for Changemakers or SfCM, has been IofC-UK’s flagship leadership programme for young people. In 2020, it commemorated its 10th Anniversary.

SfCM is partly skills based, partly reflective, partly discursive, partly inter-cultural, heavily convivial, inspirational, focused on sound principles of youth work and always rooted in the spiritual experience of IofC.

Its ‘curriculum’ closely matches the Tools for Change conference format of early morning quiet times, inspirational plenaries with guest speakers, community groups, elective training tracks, an evening social programme and late night activities which can include dance, games and drama. Character studies of Buchman and Laure, and the involvement of external experts in the delivery are cornerstones of the course.

What’s it about?

An initial three- to five-day summer residential for a selected cohort of between 30 to 50 participants is followed by an offering for our network of 500 or so alumni which includes a minimum of two yearly ‘sleepover’ events held at Greencoat Place, smaller meetings and collaborations on a range of social justice projects across the country.

Participants are challenged to examine the concept of vocation and their role in the world as well as the personal, professional and spiritual dimensions of change. This is done through a series of workshops, times of reflection, plenary sessions and community work.

To celebrate its 10^th year, SfCM partnered with IofC India Asia Plateau. This allowed SfCM to offer programmes not only to SfCM alumni and young UK-based changemakers but to find changemakers and alumni of International IofC programmes. This partnership has proved to be an enduring one and future SfCM offerings between our UK and India team are in development.

Our aims

Participants can expect to develop the skills and self-awareness to be effective leaders at work, home and in the community. They will take insight and inspiration from experienced leaders who are leading complex change – in many different ways – at work and in society.

Our hope is that participants learn from and developing friendships with others from diverse backgrounds, and explore the next steps in life in an empowering space. They will connect personal values and priorities with the needs of communities, country and the world, and network with peers and leaders with a track-record of leading social change. Furthermore, they will receive opportunities for further experience e.g. international internships, education, and more training.

...IofC-UK’s flagship leadership programme for young people

Beyond the programme: Our impact

Working with young people means that our impact will last into the future. Participants will have the increased character and confidence to respond to challenges in their personal, professional and community lives, giving them:

An increased ability to deal with diversity, community cohesion and exclusion
An enhanced capacity to engage in international contexts
Access to intern schemes and volunteering opportunities
An Increased likelihood of gaining post-graduation employment or work experience

Get involved

The easiest way to find out more about our programme is to attend an upcoming event. You can find out more by emailing sfcm@iofc.org.uk