This paper calls on love as a cure for injustice. It is not a formal research paper. It comes from the heart. It is meant to be used—like love itself. It is meant to start talks and make us think.

What Is Systems Thinking?

Systems thinking is a way of looking at problems that helps you see the whole picture, not just one piece. Instead of asking "What happened?" it asks "Why did this happen?" and "What patterns am I seeing?"

Think about it this way: When you see a traffic jam, you could just be frustrated about the cars in front of you. Or you could ask deeper questions. Why is there always a traffic jam here at 5pm? What about the road design causes this? What beliefs about how people should get to work led to this road being built this way?

Systems thinking helps us move from quick fixes that don't last to real solutions that change things for good.

Who gets to tell the story of your community? For too long, outside voices have shaped narratives about Black and Brown neighborhoods. But a new wave of grassroots organizations is taking back the pen—and the camera, the podcast mic, and the social media account—to tell their own stories and drive real change.

Why This Matters for Organizers

• Stories Drive Change: Narrative power is as important as economic or political power

• Tools Are Accessible: You do not need Hollywood budgets—TikTok, podcasts, and community theater work

• Community Expertise: Those closest to the problems are best positioned to tell the stories

• Proven Strategies: Case studies show what works across different communities

• Funder Interest: Philanthropy is increasingly supporting narrative change work

"I've experienced a number of times where I found myself thinking, 'Oh I never thought of it that way' or I recognized that someone else's experience opened me up to a new way of seeing that topic. I found myself seeing something for the first time."

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A German thinker named Friedrich Nietzsche had a word for this feeling: "nihilism" (say: NYE-ill-ism). It means believing nothing really matters. But this feeling is now so common among young Americans that experts call it "cultural nihilism."

Warning Signs

• Fewer young people trust democracy than ever before

• Young people don't trust big institutions like government

• Entire online groups are built around being super negative

• Young people have stopped believing things can get better

Why This Matters

• For the Exhausted Majority: A vision that transcends left-right polarization and offers practical hope

• For Educators: A framework that recognizes both individual potential and structural barriers

• For Policy Makers: Cross-partisan appeal with 80% agreement across political parties

• For Community Leaders: A shared language for building civic culture beyond divisiveness

• For America's Future: A roadmap for reimagining democracy in the 21st century

A Transformed World

The Charter for Compassion envisions a world where all life flourishes with compassion. Founded by scholar Karen Armstrong after receiving the TED Prize in 2008, the Charter was unveiled on November 12, 2009, with support from thousands of contributors worldwide.

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions—the Golden Rule that calls us to treat others as we wish to be treated. The Charter translates this ancient wisdom into a living, breathing movement for our times.

Every child, in every neighborhood, excels in a world-class public school and thrives in the Houston of tomorrow.

An education backbone organization partnering with Houston-area school districts to accelerate progress by increasing the number of children succeeding in high-quality learning environments.

We're building a culture of respect and belonging for all. Since 2021, we've invested $33 million in people and groups bringing pluralism to life across America.

Pluralism is a promise and a practice—a choice about who we want to become.

Without a shared story built on democratic ideals, public cohesion and collective action weaken. Amid rising polarization and authoritarian threats, a revitalized narrative rooted in civic values provides the social glue and moral framework to sustain democratic governance and shared purpose.

Pathways to Repair offers a dynamic, accessible model for transforming division into dialogue. Through story-based engagements and facilitated discussions, they equip participants to engage with empathy and accountability across lines of difference—including political, racial, and generational divides. In a time of increasing polarization, their work helps build the social cohesion and trust needed to create resilient, equitable communities.

Two-Part 180-Minute Live Webinar Program

Learn guiding principles for designing equitable and adaptable narrative change evaluations using a simple framework that's flexible enough to work across projects. Develop a clear plan for applying it to your own narrative work and receive feedback from leading researchers and practitioners.