What does it mean to be a Change Writer?

Being a Change Writer means wanting to create change...with words.

However, it goes much deeper than that. Being a Change Writer also means to use those words to invoke an emotion, a thought, and hopefully, an act of change. The words work their way to the very core of what it means to be human. The impact of these words can be personal, local, or global. Even if the message touches just one person, it has done its deed.

What could the message be about? Anything, actually. It could be about an injustice or issue plaguing the community or the world. It could be an opinion piece or an essay on a specific topic. It could be a simple poem or an expression of one's beliefs. The point of the message, though, is to reach out to others and bring people together to work toward some kind of change or to bring awareness to such a need. It's quite difficult to be a Change Writer if the words are kept hidden. A Change Writer wants to contribute to society by using words to make a difference.

So I guess my contribution is this blog. There's a lot that needs changing, even the smallest. For me, I need to start somewhere. I have yet to find my true contribution to this world. I can begin with my words.

How Can I Make a Difference?

I am but one person.

Who am I to believe that I, just one ordinary person, can make a difference in the vast world and all its injustices? What do I have to contribute?

Well, I may not have the answer at this moment, but in my heart, I have always believed that I have a special purpose in my life. We all do. I am trying to discover what mine is. I believe that I'm getting close to it.

However, I also believe that I am here to initiate or influence some kind of change. I do not know how I will do this, but I think it starts with this blog.

There is so much injustice in this world. In my own community and globally. There are so many areas where I'd like to get involved, but I am just one person. As a new student in the Bachelor's of Human Services Program at the University of Phoenix, I have become aware of the struggles, abuse, and suffering of those around me. I want to make a difference everywhere right now. But I don't know how.

I do possess one skill. Writing. I can write. I can use my words to make that difference. In one of my favorite books, Writing to Change the World, Mary Pipher writes, "Good writing facilitates the making of connections in a way that inspires openheartedness, thinking, talking, and action." I hope to use this blog to do just that: make connections and inspire people to open their hearts, to think, and to take action where ever they are in the world. Initiate change. Write to change.

Be a Change Writer.