Thread by @KenAbante

[THREAD: WHAT DOES CHANGING THE SYSTEM MEAN?]

1/ All of us want to "change the system". But my teachers and mentors taught me early on that changing the system is often NOT A GLAMOROUS, FLASHY act.

It's a A SERIES OF BORING DAILY ACTS of citizenship.

2/ First, it means LISTENING to others and knowing who they are and what they need. It means suspending judgment so there is a safe space for dialogue.

Systems change only lasts with the support and inclusion of people. It starts with a genuine desire to LISTEN.

3/ Second, it means LISTENING to ourselves and BEING AWARE of our strengths and limitations. This is an EVERY DAY question we live out.

How much time can we commit? What skills and networks can we contribute? What privileges and biases do we have? Where do our ethical lines lie?

4/ Third, it means SHOWING UP and BEING PRESENT meetings. In fora, in dialogues, in Congressional hearings, in planning and evaluation workshops.

If we have a seat on the decision-making table or organizing committee, we ask: are all impacted sectors represented? If not, invite.

5/ If we don't have a seat on the table, ask for help. Email the decision makers. Ask for help from allies in the press. Or a friend of a friend.

I know this exposes privilege. Not everyone has time to organize. Organizers must try harder to reach out to those not represented.

6/ Fourth, it means TRAINING and PRACTICING every day. We can't give what we don't have.

We study. We research. We answer math book exercises. We do that design assignment. We finish that philo paper or lab report that hones our thinking and writing. We do well in org work.

7/ Acknowledge, too, that learning never stops after school. Don't be shy; reach out and listen to those who have more experience.

People can get involved just by emailing or having conversations with experts in the field.

Many kindred spirits are generous with their time!

8/ Fifth, no one person can do it alone. Ask for help. Try collaborating. Work with existing orgs or structures to save on start-up time and cost. See if they work.

We need to work with many gardeners to take care of our field. But one day seeds will sprout and bear fruit. :)

9/ The very broad desire to "change the system" needs to be disciplined by research. Sometimes we need to break down the problem into smaller parts to make it soluble. With research we develop the ability to zoom in to see every day action and to zoom out to see the big picture.

10/ This desire to "change the system" should be aware of politics: how people decide, govern, and wield power. Power can be used for evil, for good, or for things in between. How are power and decision-making structures set up? Who are included and excluded in the process?

11/ Some people have dismissed or disengaged from politics and governance because they have judged these to be "evil".

Politics may be dirty, but not necessarily evil. Power may be used for good, for evil, or for many murky things in between.

12/ We cannot "change the system" APOLITICALLY. We need to test our idealism as we engage in a world that is imperfect. We should participate in politics and governance, in dialogue or protest, with eyes wide open to these realities. No one cannot do it alone. We need community.

13/ How can we be more specific and actionable about a burning desire to "change the system"?

Here is a proposed five-step framework from a class I taught on engaged citizenship. We now use this for our #CitizensInHealth career talk series. I will also talk about its limits.

14/ The goal of the five-step process is to make this burning desire for system change more concrete and attuned to one's individual strengths and limits.

So that one's dream statements can deepen from "I want to be an economist" to something that responds to societal needs:

15/ What are the limits of this five-step process? It assumes that engaged citizenship is limited to professions. But this is NOT TRUE. Anyone can be an engaged citizen regardless of the field...

When one asks, 'What is an meaningful career?', I think of my mom, a full-time mom.

16/ When one asks, 'What is an impactful career?', I think of my mom, a full-time mom, and how deep an impact she has had on me and my siblings and the community she has built here at home.

17/ A teacher told me once that people who are obsessed with "impact" may also be masking a desire to make something "attributable to me". Systems change can seldom be attributed to ANY ONE PERSON. Everyone who engages in systems change work should be OKAY with being anonymous.