Rediscovering certainty in our new reality

What can we hold onto when everything is changing? When the world seems unstable and unsure, social entrepreneurs help us rediscover certainty through doing what they do best: uncovering possibilities and surfacing solutions.

Right now changemakers are busier than ever. Back in April, a global survey of Ashoka Fellows found that 83% of the social entrepreneurs expected the demand for their work to increase over the following 6 months. Even in lockdown, a quarter of them saw their social impact increase.

Today social entrepreneurs are helping us to see the “big picture” and figure out where to go from here. As we prepare for Ashoka’s largest annual gathering in November—the online Ashoka Changemaker Summit, which will bring together change leaders around the world—we’re reflecting on what we need for the road ahead. Here are three guiding principles we’ve learned over the past 40 years.