The winds of social change are blowing, and St. Thomas has been swept up in the gusts.

Over the past few years, university executives have emphasized the core value of social innovation. That term may seem to be vague jargon, but people close to the process believe the broad definition to be a strength, including associate biology professor Adam Kay.

“We want to find the right language that everyone can identify with,” Kay said.

Kay is co-leader of a committee designed to help make social innovation part of the St. Thomas curriculum. “Social innovation is a more inclusive language that suggests trying to affect change that brings social justice and social equity in some purposeful way.”

Social innovation doesn’t have a specific goal, and that’s what makes the term so attractive: People can take whatever they’re passionate about and turn it into something to help their community.

The committee and higher-ups at the university have highlighted three major components to this push toward social innovation. The first of these is a relationship with Ashoka, a Vermont-based company that provides resources and connections for secondary and postsecondary education institutions looking to make social innovation a core value.

St. Thomas began its partnership with Ashoka a little over a year ago. But after Ashoka’s initial review, the committee came to the conclusion that St. Thomas needs to emphasize that what students learn in the classroom can be translated into helping others and the community. In response, St. Thomas has established the Office of Social Innovation to help better facilitate faculty and students becoming part of the movement.

Around the same time that St. Thomas began working with Ashoka, the committee came across a social innovation platform, ChangeX, based in Ireland. In addition to having a common goal of social innovation, O’Hara had been looking to expand for quite some time which led to a natural partnership with St. Thomas

“We weren’t prepared for (an overseas expansion), but we just said, ‘Why not?’,” Paul O’Hara, founder and CEO of ChangeX, said. “We’re totally thrilled to be over here.”

ChangeX is a non-profit, web-based company that provides solutions to common social problems. The company helps facilitate solving these problems, such as poverty and violence, by providing a network of people who can provide different views and advice on a certain project. While they offer guidance and networking, they do not provide monetary support.

O’Hara said ChangeX will help get any idea going, but added that it helps if the solutions have a little momentum already.

“The ideas we’re helping to spread are already established in a few places. If we think about in a local context, we’re looking for an idea that is already working in a few neighborhoods across the Twin Cities and has the potential to get across the state.”

O’Hara hopes that ChangeX can act as a catalyst for improving the well-being of the Twin Cities.

“My hope is that people go on and browse through different ideas, hopefully finding something that resonates (with them),” O’Hara said. “Whatever it is, someone would say, ‘Let’s get this going in the neighborhood or for the student population.”

Adam Kay hopes that ChangeX can be a catalyst not only for change in the community but for the Change Maker Club, the third and final key component in the push for social change on campus.

The Change Maker Club is a way for students to be more directly involved with enacting change on St. Thomas’ campus and in the community.

Kay sees this as an opportunity for students to come together and address issues that they feel strongly about and then hopefully make a change. Kay also believes that diversity of thought is really important and something that can be achieved through student involvement.

“In order to address issues, we need a bunch of different perspectives,” said Kay.

The club is in its early stages and is not an official St. Thomas club, but they will be at the activities fair this fall. Kay believes this is a good opportunity for students who want to make a difference but do not know where to start.

Kay also said that it is an idea of “being able to affect the world in positive ways, and do it in a way where it’s ideally sustainable.”

“You’re changing the system, not just putting a Band-Aid on something,” Kay said.

Ultimately, Kay believes that the students and staff of St. Thomas can be the harbingers of social changes in the Twin Cities and in Minnesota.

“St. Thomas is a massive force,” Kay said. “We can do a lot together, and do it in a way that is part of the academic experience. We can do it in a way that brings change to the world and furthers education.”

Noah Brown can be reached at brow7736@stthomas.edu
Peter Monahan can be reached at mona7035@stthomas.edu