Make Change Happen (FutureLearn)

Make Change Happen (FutureLearn)

Strengthen the skills you need to work with others to tackle injustice. Learn what drives positive social change in your role as a changemaker. If we want to make lasting social and political change we must understand power dynamics, systems and influencing strategies that can shift the status quo. This course will help you understand the context of the issues you’re passionate about and your existing sources of power and influence.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

You’ll be guided by examples of successful international movements and community action, and connect with changemakers worldwide. Ultimately, you’ll finish this course with the skills you need to spot and act upon opportunities, and contribute to the change you want to see in your community and the world.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 - What kind of change are we talking about, understanding change, changemakers and their stories, and different forms of change.
Week 2 - Understanding the context of change, looking at what context is, and the change you would like to see.
Week 3 - Taking a power and systems approach, defining power, the tools for analysing power, and understanding systems.
Week 4 - The power of collective action, working in partnership with others, and what drives a changemaker.
Week 5 - Spheres of influence, understanding influence, and where the power lies.
Week 6 - Developing strong stories for change, influencing strategies, and developing messages.
Week 7 - Taking action to make change happen, strategy and tactics, developing your action plan, and the steps to implement your plan.
Week 8 - Tackling challenges and taking your next steps, reflecting on change, overcoming challenges, and staying inspired and focused.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Explain key ideas about systems, power and how change happens
  • Explore where the potential for change lies
  • Identify key openings and opportunities to bring about change
  • Apply and understand a broad range of ways to bring about change
  • Contribute, connect and collaborate with other change makers around the globe
  • Develop and increase confidence to organise and lead others to take action for social justice
  • Engage in a personal change action
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Social Norms, Social Change I (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Social Norms, Social Change I (Coursera)

This is a course on social norms, the rules that glue societies together. It teaches how to diagnose social norms, and how to distinguish them from other social constructs, like customs or conventions. These distinctions are crucial for effective policy interventions aimed to create new, beneficial norms or eliminate harmful ones. The course teaches how to measure social norms and the expectations that support them, and how to decide whether they cause specific behaviors.

Aug 3rd 2026
4 Weeks
More on Change and Sustainability (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

More on Change and Sustainability (Coursera)

This is Class 2 of the MOOC Specialization, Become a Sustainable Business Change Agent. In this class you will learn more change agent skills and hear from people who have made changes in their organizations. You will also learn more about green design and sustainability reporting. The skills from this class will help improve products and services in your company or help the company issue its first, or an improved sustainability report.

Jul 27th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Understanding Violence Against Women: Myths and Realities (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Strathclyde

Understanding Violence Against Women: Myths and Realities (FutureLearn)

Learn how to challenge attitudes that lead to violence against women and develop your knowledge of this human rights issue. The United Nations considers violence against women to be a grave violation of human rights of epidemic proportions. Such violence has profoundly negative consequences for individuals, communities and entire societies. This is why violence against women is a priority issue for governments and societies around the world.

Apr 18th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles (edX)

Mobilize people to tackle tough problems and build the capacity to thrive through the dangers of change. The crises of our time generate enormous adaptive challenges for our families, organizations, communities, and societies. The need for leadership that can mobilize people to meet these challenges and improve life is critical.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
The School for Change Agents (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
NHS Leadership Academy,NHS Horizons

The School for Change Agents (FutureLearn)

Develop the skills to make a difference and create change in your organisation on this course targeted to health and care staff. Build the confidence needed to make change happen. Do you want to make a difference in your organisation? On this course, you will build the skills, confidence, and supportive community needed to create change in an evolving environment.

Nov 11th 2024
5-12 Weeks
Storytelling for Social Change (edX) EdX
University of Michigan,MichiganX

Storytelling for Social Change (edX)

Use stories to deliver messages that affect people. Learn how to craft a story that develops empathy and delivers impact. How can storytelling promote social change? This course develops skills for using stories to deliver messages that affect audiences and shape attitudes for social change. Learn how building empathy and developing characters can offer multiple perspectives on complex problems.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Voces de cambio social (Coursera) Coursera
Laureate Education

Voces de cambio social (Coursera)

En momentos de turbulencia política, desconcierto medioambiental y permanente desigualdad social, los jóvenes creadores de cambio están liderando el camino para resolver los desafíos de la actualidad. ¿Qué está haciendo usted para crear un cambio positivo y sostenible? Voces de Cambio Social es un curso corto en línea gratuito, diseñado e impartido por ocho jóvenes emprendedores sociales.

Aug 3rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Transformational Leadership for Inclusive Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
University of Toronto

Transformational Leadership for Inclusive Innovation (Coursera)

Gender Analytics underpins inclusive innovation, and inclusive innovation will require organizational transformation. The missing link between insights and actions is change leadership. How can you get people to collaborate? How can you overcome resistance to change? How can you embed intersectional, gender-based insights in everything an organization does? In this course, you will learn to be an inspiring and effective change agent by developing a toolbox of leadership skills for building and managing diverse teams.

Jul 27th 2026
4 Weeks
Power and Foreign Policy in International Relations (Coursera) Coursera
O.P. Jindal Global University

Power and Foreign Policy in International Relations (Coursera)

Welcome to the Power and Foreign Policy in International Relations course! This course acquaints you with how power matters in the conduct of international relations and how it affects the strategies and tactics of a nation-state in dealing with other nation-states. It demonstrates the link between a country’s ranking in the international system and the means and methods it adopts to deal with the rest of the world.

Aug 3rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Utilising Social Science and Behaviour Change in Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes: Improving Healthcare (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

Utilising Social Science and Behaviour Change in Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes: Improving Healthcare (FutureLearn)

How can social science and behaviour change techniques be used within antimicrobial stewardship projects to bring about change. Hospital healthcare delivery is complex with changing priorities and demands. Improvements are required but how can we ensure they are delivered. Understanding behaviour is essential for change.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Conversations that Inspire: Coaching Learning, Leadership and Change (Coursera) Coursera
Case Western Reserve University

Conversations that Inspire: Coaching Learning, Leadership and Change (Coursera)

Coaching can inspire and motivate people to learn, change and be effective leaders, among other roles in life. Although most attempts are “coaching for compliance” (coaching someone to your wishes or expectations), decades of behavioral and neuroscience research show us that “coaching with compassion” (coaching someone to their dreams and desires) is more effective.

Aug 3rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Power Electronics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Introduction to Power Electronics (Coursera)

This course introduces the basic concepts of switched-mode converter circuits for controlling and converting electrical power with high efficiency. Principles of converter circuit analysis are introduced, and are developed for finding the steady state voltages, current, and efficiency of power converters. Assignments include simulation of a dc-dc converter, analysis of an inverting dc-dc converter, and modeling and efficiency analysis of an electric vehicle system and of a USB power regulator.

Jul 27th 2026
3 Weeks