Be A Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters

Be a Changemaker is a how-to guide for young people to change the world through social entrepreneurship – that is, running a business in a profitable yet socially impactful way. The story empowers individuals to find an issue they are passionate about and grow it into a successful charitable venture. These ventures differ from normal businesses because they are not solely for profit, yet they are also not charity organizations because they are not completely not-for-profit. The author believes that combining these two types of businesses leads to the most success.  

To encourage others to start their own successful ventures, the author starts at square one: finding a passion. Then, the author walks through the necessary aspects of creating a social change program. Thompson explains the process of solidifying a passion into an idea, naming the social venture, managing a budget, hiring a team, and much more. These steps are reinforced by examples of successful businesses that were started by kids such as Actores de la Prevención, a group of actors using theater to spread awareness about alcohol addiction, and the Youth Ultimate Project, which teaches leadership and perseverance skills to kids in Cambodia through ultimate frisbee programs.  

Aside from walking through the steps to turn an idea into a fully-fledged business operation, the book provides resources and helpful links to help children build their ventures, such as grant organizations, information about filing for copyright, and marketing advice. It is full of information that may help a young entrepreneur find their footing in the business world. Ultimately, the aim of this book is to inspire young people to create a business that can sustain itself while still staying true to the goal of helping others. 

Be a Changemaker can be a daunting text since it takes you from zero to a hundred by the end of the book. However, the author notes that you should read it at your own pace and you can apply – or not apply – her advice as you deem fit. It is a resource to help you, so use it as much or as little as you’d like.  

Although some of the financial lingo and business-forming advice might go over the heads of younger readers, the text is generally accessible to all people and clearly written. Some of the advice even applies to adults! There are passages about networking, discovering your talents and passions, and the effect of social change that can be useful to any reader. This guide does mention social issues and sensitive topics such as feminism, animal rights, minority issues, domestic violence, suicide, and more, but it does not give direct examples or in-depth descriptions of such issues. There are some examples of violence, alcohol consumption, and child labor which are listed below.  

Overall, Be a Changemaker is a comprehensive guide that encourages its readers to take action. If you know a young person who wants to help the world but doesn’t know where to begin, this book is a great first step on the path to creating change.  

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• A brief anecdote about the organization Free the Children is included. The passage discusses child labor. Craig Kielburger was flipping through the newspaper in search of comics when he came across the headline, “’Battled Child Labor, Boy, 12, Murdered!’ Because Craig was also twelve, the words grabbed his attention and he stopped to read the article. He soon learned that the boy, Iqbal Masih from Pakistan, had been sold into slavery at the age of four and chained to a carpet loom for nearly six years. After escaping, Iqbal spoke publicly against the common practice of child labor in his country. Many suspected Iqbal’s death was an attempt to silence him and his message.” 
• A brief anecdote about the organization Team Revolution discusses gang violence. “Divine Bradley was no goody two-shoes. Growing up, he often felt the allure of life on the gang-infested streets of his Brooklyn neighborhood. Then, when Divine was seventeen, a close friend of his was murdered over a basketball game. That was Divine’s wake-up call.” 
• One of the mentioned organizations, Team aWEAReness, combats domestic and dating violence. No examples are given. 
• The organization Everybody Dance Now! was formed, in part, due to gang violence. “When [Jackie] also realized that gang violence, obesity, and low self-esteem threatened her Santa Barbara, California neighborhood, Jackie felt compelled to take action.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• A brief anecdote about the organization Actores de la Prevención is included, discussing alcohol addiction and drunk driving. “[A group of students] were studying theater at Argentina’s National University of Cuyo when they got the idea for their venture. ‘We saw that there were a lot of car accidents due to excessive alcohol consumption in young people.’” 

Language    

• None 

Supernatural  

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None