The Global Shapers Community was created with the mission of empowering young people by amplifying their voices around the world and enabling them to self-organize to implement projects for their local communities. The way in which we seek to achieve our goal and drive change is illustrated by our Impact Model, Impact Areas, Theory of Change and Indicator Framework.
Key Terms - Definitions
- Theory of Change: A representation of how change is thought to take place. It logically describes the relationships between inputs, activities, and outcomes, to achieve the desired change.
- Indicator Framework: A set of specific measurable indicators for assessing progress and results linked to the elements of the Theory of Change, used to track performance.
- Data Collection: A plan to gather data (tools, methods) on selected indicators, when to gather it (quarterly, annually) and resources needed for collection and storage (personnel, costs).
- Data Analysis: Collected data is to be analysed and synthesized, to inform reporting or communications.
- Reporting Cycle: An approach to the presentation and dissemination of results including target audiences, frequency and type of reports to be generated. This should be aligned to funder expectations.
Impact Model
Our Impact Model is structured around four key elements:
- Global Shapers: Each Global Shaper brings unique skills to their hub, and the participation in the Community’s events and activities further develops and expands a Shaper's skill set and allows them to meet their full potential.
- Hubs: Change cannot happen in silos, or rely on a single individual. The decentralized hub model enables Global Shapers to self-organize, strengthening autonomy at a local level and allowing members to concentrate their engagement where they see the greatest need. Once founded, hubs require direction, delegation and collaboration to flourish, incubate ideas and maintain momentum.
- Local Communities: Global Shapers improve the state of the world, one project at a time. Hubs are independent and best positioned to design and deliver at least one project a year that meets the needs of local communities, often in partnerships with local organizations.
- Global Network: Once hubs have reached a certain stage of maturity, they collaborate with other hubs from all over the world to scale up their ideas and solutions on pressing issues, such as climate change and unemployment. Regular events organized for and by Global Shapers enable knowledge sharing and collaboration.
I-SHAPE Impact Areas
From addressing climate change to expanding the rights of women and girls, and demanding economic justice, the next generation faces complex global challenges. These problems cannot be solved through traditional approaches alone. Responsibility for addressing them must be shared among all citizens, with a special focus on engaging young people in solution-building and lasting change.
At the Global Shapers Annual Summit 2018, hub leaders identified three priority impact areas to mobilize the community and drive transformational change: Climate and Environment, Education and Employment, Equity and Inclusion. Building on this foundation, the community's 10-Year Anniversary in 2021 saw the introduction of six additional impact areas.
When considering the community's impact areas, remember the helpful acronym: I-SHAPE
- I for Inclusion - Create Inclusive Communities: Advocate for human rights, challenge social norms, and combat harmful stereotypes related to gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, homelessness, statelessness, and more.
- S for Skills - Reskill for the Future: Provide quality education, skills training, and equitable job opportunities to ensure inclusivity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Promote digital literacy, online safety, and modern work standards.
- H for Health - Improve health and Wellbeing: Promote health equity, ensure access to healthcare services, address social determinants of health, support youth mental health, respond to pandemics, and more.
- A for Aid - Deliver Basic Needs: Respond to local disasters, provide humanitarian aid, combat hunger, alleviate extreme poverty, and support vulnerable communities.
- P for Planet - Protect the Planet: Reduce emissions, hold leaders accountable for environmental policies, promote sustainable consumption, preserve biodiversity, and conserve natural resources.
- E for Engagement - Strengthen civic engagement: Empower minority leadership, mobilize voter participation, encourage youth involvement in local politics, ensure diverse representation in decision-making, and promote societal inclusivity.
Additional details on our Impact Areas and examples of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be found here.
General Key Performance Indicators
- Number of people directly benefited (non-Shapers).
- Number of organizations or communities directly benefited (e.g., NGOs, schools).
- Number of people reached or mobilized (e.g., through pledges, social media).
- Number of classes, sessions, trainings, or workshops conducted.
- Number of donations made (e.g., books, health kits).
- Amount of funds raised or in-kind support (USD).
- Number of policies influenced or changed (e.g., laws, organizational policies).
Theory of Change
Our Theory of Change has four key levels:
- Activities - what we do: the support actions executed by the Global Shapers Team to empower our members to effectively engage in change within their communities. This includes trainings, learning resources, opportunities to attend meetings and summits, and support in the creation and execution of impactful projects.
- Outputs - what we deliver: The immediate results generated from the activities executed by the Global Shapers Team, including: our members having increased skills and knowledge, their voices being amplified on a global scale, and the development of more local projects and cross-hub initiatives.
- Outcomes - what changes as a result: The medium-term results generated following from the outputs achieved. This includes: the improved leadership skills of our members, more representative decision-making, and the people reached or mobilized through the projects implemented by Shapers.
- Impact - what difference we make: The long-term desired change achieved from community outcomes. At the highest level of impact, we aim to ensure that young people play a critical role in shaping both their present and future.
Indicator Framework
In total, we developed 36 indicators across the community's Activities (16), Outputs (9), Outcomes (6), and Impact (5) areas. Each indicator plays a crucial role in evaluating and reinforcing our Theory of Change, ensuring a thorough examination of our impact across all dimensions.
Dive into the Global Shapers Community’s full indicator framework matrix to learn more on the exact metrics we use to measure success, or see our impact strategy deck that summarizes how our community measures change over time.