What can I do? There must be something I can do.

No. 118: Because I can't just sit back, hope, and do nothing.

We all remember 2020, right? All the feels were there: worried, anxious, angry, sad, frustrated, shocked. All the things we didn’t do, would have wanted to do but couldn’t. Many of us felt powerless, too. I remember thinking I didn’t have any medical background and couldn’t possibly help the frontline responders, but surely, I could do something!

Then, I learned that my next-door neighbor was doing the weekly grocery shopping for another neighbor of ours who happened to be immunocompromised. They weren’t friends, just friendly acquaintances. But my next-door neighbor figured it was something she could do to help, and so she did. And I thought to myself, that’s the way to do it.

But I still didn’t know what to do. At some point during the pandemic, I came across a map, a framework developed by Deepa Iyer¹, that helped me see how I might be able to contribute in a small way.

Fast forward to 2024, and many of us are facing yet another overwhelming moment — when the weight of events makes it hard to sit still. I find myself once again asking, “What can I do?” So, I dug up the old research and found some new and updated information from Iyer, too.

If you’ve ever felt that “I need to act, but I don’t know how” pull in your gut — whether in times of crisis, uncertainty, or adversity — perhaps this map can help.

Source: Social Change Map

I learned of Deepa Iyer through a podcast, or maybe a workshop — I listened and attended so many of those in 2020 (what else was there to do?!). Before the pandemic, she had already been sharing her thoughts about “social change entry points” in response to various crises that arose in 2017.

As the pandemic intensified, Iyer observed and was inspired by how people in her broader ecosystem were responding to the challenge. She then expanded her framework to include different roles that individuals can play during a time of unprecedented crisis.

“As I listen to and understand what others are doing and how they are (re)imagining what is possible in this moment, I have been reflecting and asking myself: what are my values, how can I be aligned and in right relationship with them, what are the needs of the communities who anchor me, and what can I offer with my full energy?” — Deepa Iyer

During the pandemic, this framework helped me see how people were helping and contributing in various ways. They weren’t all medical professionals or first responders. There were caregivers (like my next-door neighbor) and builders, like my local Trader Joe’s, where staff organized smooth operations, instilling calm and joy as we stood in line to get in. I saw the guides who stepped in to help us understand what’s happening locally and globally.

Understanding these roles helped me out of hopelessness, and I also saw how I could contribute in my own small way. I started researching (this is one I know I do well) and began a highly curated newsletter centered around navigating and getting through the pandemic. It was a tiny endeavor, a small drop in the ocean. But it helped me out of feeling powerless and passively hoping.

• • •

Iyer's framework identifies ten key roles that we can take on to contribute meaningfully.

Here’s a quick overview of each role. As you read through these, see which resonates with your natural strengths or interests.²

Weavers: We see the through-lines of connectivity between people, places, organizations, ideas, and movements.

Experimenters: We innovate, pioneer, and invent. We take risks and course-correct as needed.

Frontline Responders: We address community crisis by marshaling and organizing resources, networks, and messages.

Visionaries: We imagine and generate our boldest possibilities, hopes, and dreams and remind others of our direction.

Builders: We develop, organize, and implement ideas, practices, people, and resources in service of a collective vision.

Caregivers: We nurture and nourish the people around us by creating and sustaining a community of care, joy, and connection.

Healers: We recognize and tend to the generational and current traumas caused by oppressive systems, institutions, policies, and practices.

Disrupters: We take uncomfortable and risky actions to shake up the status quo, to raise awareness, and to build power.

Storytellers: We craft and share our community stories, cultures, experiences, histories, and possibilities through art, music, media, and movement.

Guides: We teach, counsel, and advise, using our gifts of well-earned discernment and wisdom.

• • •

As I lift my head from the sand, I’m encouraged to see people beginning to step into their natural roles again now³, and I’m inspired to do the same. Back in 2020, I found myself leaning toward the storyteller role, and I think that’s where my interests and skills naturally align.⁴

Reader

Lise Mayne

recently reminded me, in this post, of Mr. Fred Rogers’ wise words: “Look for the helpers.” It’s a comforting thought — and also an invitation. What if we could be one of the helpers? What if we could embody one of these roles ourselves?

We can do more than hope. We can be actively hoping.

Does any of the roles in Iyer’s framework resonate with you?

💭 muse

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe

🍹 reader shout-out

Warm shout-out to WAGO reader

Nancy A

who launched Kindness Matters six months ago. Kindness Matters are little reminders about how we can make the world a happier place. And I say we definitely need these reminders these days! Please check out Kindness Matters.

💬 last word

We’re all just trying to do our best, and people are in various stages of grief. I do know (from experience!) that feeling helpless or hopeless isn’t a good spot to be in for an extended period of time. And I think finding a way to contribute somehow is an effective way of not falling into that dark hole. It’s best to be in active hope mode.

It’s challenging times, for sure, and there will be many “entry points,” to borrow Iyer’s words, for us to help. Desmond Tutu once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

May the odds be ever in your favor,
Lou Blaser

1. Deepa is a South Asian American writer, lawyer, strategist, facilitator, and activist. She is a Senior Advisor at Building Movement Project, and director of Solidarity Is, a project providing training, narratives, and resources on building deep and lasting multiracial solidarity.

2. For more information, visit https://www.socialchangemap.com/

3. News is still mostly unbearable, but I’ve started to lean heavier on trusted, independent voices.

4. I’ve no intention of changing the mission of WAGO, though. It remains a newsletter that explores how we can have joyful and meaningful lives in the second half.