‘We must listen to everyone’s concerns and reassure them that a shared future is being built, whether they are aggressor or victim, where one person’s gain is not offset by another’s loss.’ That was the message from @obi-belonging.bsky.social 's john a. powell following this month’s racist violence

john a. powell from Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley visited a church helping those displaced by racist violence during his visit to Belfast and he wrote about it for The Independent. Read his article here: www.independent.co.uk/voices/belfa... (£)

‘When people stand up for each other something magical happens’ That was john a. powell's message to change makers during an Ulster University talk set against the backdrop of racist violence in Belfast. He's director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley @obi-belonging.bsky.social

Pivotal has released an interesting new report on the need to reform our political institutions. Suggested reforms include: 1 Resourcing the Official Opposition 2 Changes to the D’Hondt process Full @pivotalpolicy.bsky.social report: www.pivotalpolicy.org/assets/files...

A report from Belfast-based human rights activist Sipho Sibanda captures the experiences of 20 young migrants exploring their sense of belonging in Northern Ireland. Read the full report 👉 socialchangeinitiative.com/through-the-eyes-of-young-migrants @queensips.bsky.social

One year ago, we brought activists and funders from around the world to Istanbul to share lessons on countering authoritarianism and building resilient movements. Click here to read the key takeaways from this convening 👉 www.socialchangeinitiative.com/new-report-c...

We hosted a panel of international changemakers who shared their insights on building collective leadership at grassroots and global levels - offering practical lessons on sustaining movements, navigating complexity and caring for ourselves while fighting for change. 🔗▶️ buff.ly/8BfuiDY

Explore the 'Resources for Change' section on our website, offering a diverse toolkit for activists and funders on topics like tackling extremism, narrative change, strategic litigation, campaigning, peacebuilding, among others. 🔗 socialchangeinitiative.com/resources-for-change

Last weekend we welcomed the new cohort of our Black Activist Leadership Initiative for their first residential. During the weekend, new participants had the chance to meet each other and kick-start their journey of empowerment and collective leadership.

At SCI we work to secure progressive social change so that communities become fairer, more inclusive and peaceful. 🔗 Find out more about what we do, visit socialchangeinitiative.com/what-we-do

"The far right doesn't define how communities move forward. Moving forward is about bringing as many people together as you can, building trust, and delivering real, tangible change." @bulldogshadow.bsky.social 🎙️ Full conversation coming soon - stay tuned!

SCI's Participatory Journalism Fellowship supports independent journalists, filmmakers and storytellers to share impactful stories that might otherwise go untold. We're delighted that a new cohort will be starting soon. www.socialchangeinitiative.com/sci-launches... #ParticipatoryJournalism

During his SCI Participatory Journalism Fellowship, filmmaker and activist Colm Teague created a documentary examining how big tech exploits people's attention, fuelling division and spreading misinformation. ▶️ Watch the full documentary: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5e...

Last Saturday, we welcomed our newest cohort to the Black Activist Leadership programme. ✊️ We spent time together getting to know one another and introducing the programme. Welcome, everyone.👏 Find out more about the programme 👉 buff.ly/VzfV2st

In December 2025, Eric K. Ward visited Ireland and Northern Ireland, he met with community leaders and activists on the front lines of countering hate and far-right extremism. He shared key insights for philanthropy on supporting this critical work. 🔗 socialchangeinitiative.com/a-note-for-f...

🔁 Throwback: Tackling Disinformation Disinformation continues to threaten lives and democracy - and the conversation remains urgent. In this past SCI-hosted discussion, Mike Posner, Aoife Gallagher and Kavisha Pillay explored practical strategies to respond. ▶️ Watch highlights in this video.

A new study by Inter Alia co-funded by Social Change Initiative explores how Greek society has split into five distinct "tribes" with very different takes on democracy, immigration and identity. 🔗 Read it now 👉 socialchangeinitiative.com/hidden-tribes-mapping-social-perceptions-in-modern-greece

Changing the government's approach isn't easy, but it's essential for lasting impact. Our partnership with Northern Ireland's government showcases how philanthropy can drive meaningful reform. Check out the lessons learned 👉 lnkd.in/d-madT6a

Discover how a values-led approach is opening new pathways for community dialogue. Read our World Values Survey - Lessons Learned report: buff.ly/MzRjIkw

The stories we tell shape how we understand the world - what feels possible, fair and worth fighting for. At SCI, we support narrative change that centres lived experience, amplifies marginalised voices and connects storytelling to strategy.

In this short video, our Director @mobrienbelfast.bsky.social reflects on his journey through activism, human rights and philanthropy, and how this experience shaped the work of the SCI. ▶️ Watch the video to learn more about our approach and values. 🔗 socialchangeinitiative.com

Last Saturday, we hosted the first 2026 convening of members of our Black Leadership Programme.

▶️ Northern Ireland is changing, and diverse voices must be at the forefront of social change. SCI's Black Activist Leadership Initiative supports people of African origin and descent to connect, share strategies, build leadership and strengthen their collective impact. 🔗 buff.ly/fMQdynH

Our report examines how the UK government has attempted to walk back commitments made to ensure Brexit wouldn't diminish Good Friday Agreement rights and equality protections. 🔗 Read the full report: buff.ly/iFDYjaT

Excellent piece by Professor Cathryn Costello @profccostello.bsky.social of @ucdschooloflaw.bsky.social in today’s Irish Times: Ireland should resist cheap and tough talk on migration…

Brian Feeney highlighting a serious and potentially very damaging misstep by the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, in relation to the ECHR - this can be corrected ahead of the meeting of Council of Europe foreign ministers in May 2026…

I have a letter in today’s Irish Times about Ireland and the ECHR and the apparent shift in the Irish government’s position towards reform of the Convention signalled recently by the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD #ECHR

To all those dedicated to building a better world - thank you for your continued commitment this year. In times of challenge, it's the connections we build, the communities we support and the solidarity we share that sustain our work and give us hope.

🌍 Social Change Initiative's Latest Newsletter 🌍 Grounding Social Change in Shared Values – our newest issue explores how we can build movements and drive meaningful transformation by focusing our work on principles that unite rather than divide us. 🔗 Read and subscribe: mailchi.mp/socialchange...

Yesterday we attended the launch of @jrf-uk.bsky.social's new report on poverty in NI. An important piece of work with a clear message: change is possible, but only if political leaders act now. From childcare to rural inequality, we can’t afford to wait. www.jrf.org.uk/poverty-in-n...

We’re excited to share that the Social Change Initiative is now on Instagram! 🤳 🌍 🔗 www.instagram.com/SCIBelfast

Discover how a values-led approach is opening new pathways for community dialogue. Read our World Values Survey - Lessons Learned report: buff.ly/MzRjIkw

Last week we welcomed 28 Community and Youth Work students from Maynooth University. SCI's Director, Martin O'Brien, was delighted to meet them and talk about working for social change and the current situation in Belfast.

Great to be back again in South Africa to mark 10 years of the Constitutionalism Fund an initiative of @atlantic, @FordFoundation & @OpenSociety. $29m of grant awards made to advance the realisation of the rights provided for in the South African Constitution

🌐 The last wave of WVS was the first time the study had been run in NI, and with @sci-belfast.bsky.social we have been using the findings to provide insights into how different groups in NI are aligned in terms of their values and attitudes, beyond community background or constitutional position

🤝 Delighted to see our partners @sci-belfast.bsky.social using findings from our work on the World Values Survey to engage community leaders in Northern Ireland in conversations on attitudes, values and how to tackle division in the country ➡️ www.socialchangeinitiative.com/values-lesso...

Over two years, 170 people from diverse communities across Northern Ireland took part in our values-led workshops, exploring what we share and what divides us through World Values Survey data. 🔗 socialchangeinitiative.com/values-lessons-learned

Following our event 'Tackling Hate & Violent Extremism – What Works?', we're continuing to share insights from a conversation with Joe Mulhall from @hopenothate.org.uk on the work being done to counter hate and violent extremism. ▶️ 🔗 Full article: buff.ly/GSqSHZx

Last week we published a new report outlining attempts by the UK government to undo commitments it made to ensure that Brexit wouldn’t lead to any diminution in GFA rights and equality protections. To make the key points easier to follow, we’ve put together a short animation you can watch below. ▶️

“Tackling economic insecurity and rebuilding community is the ticket back to a politics that builds on positivity.” New polling from @hopenothate.org.uk highlights some progressive ways out of current anxieties and division across the UK 👇 hopenothate.org.uk/state-of-hope/

Incredible talent from our #KindEconomy chefs, catering an event earlier this week. Imagine how much skill and talent we are missing out on in Belfast while people in the asylum system are banned for working 💛 Have you tried the Kind Economy cooking? 👀

Great to see former @sci-belfast.bsky.social intern Allison Tate being included among this prestigious group of young leaders.

The UK government appears to be trying to undo the commitment it made to ensure that Brexit would not lead to any diminution of Belfast-Good Friday Agreement rights.

A new study by Inter Alia co-funded by Social Change Initiative explores how Greek society has split into five distinct "tribes" with very different takes on democracy, immigration and identity. 🔗 Read it now 👉 socialchangeinitiative.com/hidden-tribes-mapping-social-perceptions-in-modern-greece

#NorthernIreland today. Important discussions on ‘Tackling Hate and Violence’ @sci-belfast.bsky.social @viewdigital.bsky.social @unisonni.bsky.social

Yesterday we welcomed over 80 guests from a diversity of sectors to our event 'Tackling Hate & Violent Extremism – What Works?', which brought together key voices in the fight against racism and violence in Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Changing the government's approach isn't easy, but it's essential for lasting impact. Our partnership with Northern Ireland's government showcases how philanthropy can drive meaningful reform. Check out the lessons learned 👉 socialchangeinitiative.com/making-chang...

Discover stories of change from around the world - featuring community action, peacebuilding and advocacy in places like South Africa, Kosovo and beyond 👉 socialchangeinitiative.com/Stories-of-Change

The Good Friday Agreement recognised that protecting the human rights of everyone is central to securing and maintaining the peace. To prevent Brexit from undermining these protections, Article 2 of the Windsor Framework committed the UK to ensure no diminution of the Good Friday Agreement rights.

At SCI we work to secure progressive social change so that communities become fairer, more inclusive and peaceful. Find out more about what we do, visit 👉 lnkd.in/dSZ35nSU