Community Access
Tools and Resources to learn, to get involved and take action. Access for everyone.
(Both options give you the exact same access. Pick what works for you.)
Why We're Here
The Change Lab is for regular people. People who feel overwhelmed by the news. People who want to help but don't know where to start.
You're not alone. Most Americans want to get involved in their communities. But they face three big problems:
- Too much information to sort through
- No clear way to take action
- Don't know who's in charge of what
That's why we exist. We cut through the noise. We show you what to do. We connect you to real opportunities in your neighborhood.
What makes us different:
We don't expect you to spend hours researching. We meet you where you are. Start with 5 minutes. Learn one thing. Take one action. Build from there.
Houston Is Ready to Connect
New research shows Houston is leading the way. A study found that Houstonians want to connect with different people more than most Americans.
From the Connection Opportunity Report:
"Houston residents are more interested in connecting across differences. They want connection more than the national average."
The numbers tell the story:
Why Houston is different: We're one of the most diverse cities in America. When you live here, you meet people different from you every day.
That's what The Change Lab provides: Clear ways to connect. Simple tools. Real opportunities near you.
What You Get
Community Access means full access to everything. Tools and guides to help you take action on issues you care about.
- Browse all 105 focus areas across 8 pathways
- Read guides about local issues
- Find groups working in your neighborhood
- Discover events near you
- Learn who's responsible for what
- Use tools to understand how things work
- Connect with others on the same issues
Our goal: Stronger communities. Help you move from worry to action.
Two Ways to Get Community Access
Both options give you the exact same access. Pick what works for you.
Free Access: Full access to everything. No credit card needed. Always free.
$5/Month Access: Same full access. Your $5 supports technology development, staff and software.
We believe everyone should have access to civic tools and servers and development cost money.
The $5 monthly option helps us:
- Keep the platform online for everyone
- Build out our tech stack.
- Add more local groups and resources
- Maintain what we have
- Support our small team
- Show funders people use our tools
How Our Community Works
When you get Community Access, you join a community working to bridge divides. This isn't just another website.
Three documents guide our community:
Organizing Principles: How we work together. They help us have hard conversations without fighting.
Privacy Policy: What data we collect and how we use it. No hidden tracking. No selling your information.
Terms of Use: Your rights and our responsibilities. Legal stuff, written clearly.
By creating an account, you agree to follow all three. Please read them. They're short and written in plain language.
What we ask from every member:
- Respect our shared values
- Protect other people's privacy
- Be honest and act in good faith
- Look for common ground
- Take responsibility for your words
- Report problems instead of fighting
- Give people the benefit of the doubt
Questions? Email us at hello@thechangelab.net