About The Freechild Project > Theory of Change

Intro: The Freechild Project Theory of Change is designed to illustrate the connections between our assumptions and our actions. This theory is based in our critical examinations of young people and social change around the world, in additional to working directly with more than 100 K-12 schools and organizations across the US to develop their action that engages young people in social change. You are invited to send us your thoughts, ideas, and criticism of this tool. Send an email to info@freechild.org.

Theory: The Freechild Project believes that by engaging young people in identifying needs, connecting with resources, creating social change, reflecting on action, reconnecting with their intentions, and continuing to act, social change will be powerful, effective, and sustainable.

 → Identify → Connect → Create → Reflect → Reconnect → Continue →

Step One: Identify. Young people identify the necessity of social change.

Children, youth, and adult allies identify their common interest, investment, ownership, and membership within their communities and throughout the larger society.

Step Two: Connect. Young people connect to create social change.

After recognizing that younger people, people their own ages, adults, and elders share common interests in social change, young people connect throughout their community to intentionally support, foster, or create community among others.

Step Three: Create. Young people create social change.

By analyzing, deconstructing, reflecting, and examining the past and present commonalities affecting their communities, young people create create social change. It is essential to do something.

Step Four: Reflect. Young people critically examine social change.

When examining personal efforts, group efforts, and other efforts to create movement within larger contexts of creating social change, young people reflect in order to recognize their responsibility, authority, and ability, as well as inabilities and areas to grow.

Step Five: Reconnect. Young people re-negotiate social change.

Young people take the observations, examinations, lessons, critiques, and developments from their previous actions in order to reconnect their ability and the ability of those around them to create social change.

Step Six: Continue. Young people re-negotiate social change.

Developing new avenues, identifying diverse methods, and approaching more powerful goals encourages young people to continue navigating the broadest reaches of social change.

© 2006, Adam Fletcher for The Freechild Project.