BlessWorld Foundation International

Social change explains how the world changes overtime with respect to human behavior, interactions and relationships as well as social and cultural norms. Social change is a force that drives institutions, world views, opinions, standards and laws which ultimately transform the society. These changes can be positive or negative, they may take years, or even decades to become evident since they are usually subtle and observable only after long periods of time. Here, we focus specifically on positive social change- particularly how education and health determinants create social change. Significant outcomes of positive social change over the years include:
• Abolition of slave trade
• Civil rights and democracy
• Feminist movement- women being able to vote, attend university and gain employment
• The LGBTQ+ rights movement
The Social determinants of health are social factors that directly or indirectly impact health. These factors, such as education, income, housing and employment, are agents of social change. This is because they are able to significantly influence our lives, ways of thinking and reasoning. These internal changes in our thoughts and attitudes, in turn, influence our external actions that contribute to social change in societies. All forms of change usually begin when human beings are open minded, interactive and engage on ideological, political, and social levels. This also involves listening to other peoples opinions and potentially engaging in difficult conversations or dialogues. Open-mindedness means listening to other people’s views and perspectives on diverse issues, as well as agreeing to disagree.
Social change can be influenced by:
• Social order
• Technology
• Environment
• Social institutions
• Population
• War and conquest
• Diffusion
• Values and beliefs

As a social determinant of health, an agent of change and a major method of distributing information, education is an essential tool that drives positive social change. Parents and teachers impact wards with social, moral, and cultural values and skills needed to become agents of social change. These are done through activities, games and storytelling. Education gives us information about government, history, and our rights as citizens, as well as teaches us the roles and responsibilities of citizens. In fact, most forms of interaction, including dealing with disagreements, forming opinions, problem solving, exercising self control, relations with various personality types, are learned in school. Although these may not be true for all, another form of education called edutainment, is usually one we can all relate to. Edutainment uses entertainment to teach and inspire social change- this may be by role plays, fictions, revealing what’s happening in other parts of the world and learning about society in general.
Social change is an ongoing, inevitable and ever-present phenomenon that is often used as a marker of development. Most times, social change follows predictable patterns that can either be continuous or cyclic. Continuous forms of social change include changes that happen constantly , but on a smaller scale. These changes are always happening in our societies but may not be immediately observable. They become evident after a long period of time, particularly when we look back in time, historically. Patterns of social change are regarded as cyclic when everything follows a distinct cycle. This is similar to the annual cycle of seasons that come and go, as well as economic booms and dooms that are continuously experienced in the world. Other examples include fashion trends and social expectations. Some cycles are more predictable than others, while others can take decades to recur. Due to the natural ability of human beings to learn, adapt and grow, it is necessary to constantly change with the changing environment around us. We are able to continuously inspire social change, both personally and socially.

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