Embracing the Inner Development Goals: Self-Development for Social Change
As we approach the turn of a new year, our intentions often align with resolutions aimed at self-improvement. For Ashley, a member of our community working in the non-profit sector, the focus for the upcoming year is on self-care and self-development. The final 2023 podcast episode dives deep into Ashley’s questions about self-development for social change through the Inner Development Goals (IDGs), a comprehensive framework designed to foster personal development while actively contributing to broader social change.
In 2024 I am aiming to focus more on self care and self development — do you have any resources or recommendations for someone working in the not-for-profit sector?”
Ashley, Changemaker Q&A listener
The Inner Development Goals Framework
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals cover a wide range of issues that involve people with different needs, values, and convictions. There is a vision of what needs to happen, but progress along this vision has so far been disappointing. We lack the inner capacity to deal with our increasingly complex environment and challenges. Fortunately, modern research shows that the inner abilities we now all need can be developed. This was the starting point for the ‘Inner Development Goals’ initiative.
The Inner Development Goals framework emerges as a response to the need for robust inner capabilities, crucial for navigating the complexity of today’s social change landscape. This framework comprises 23 goals grouped into five categories: Being, Thinking, Relating, Collaborating, and Acting:
1. Being: Cultivating Inner Harmony
- Inner Compass: A commitment to values serving the greater good.
- Integrity and Authenticity: Acting sincerely and honestly.
- Openness and Learning Mindset: Embracing curiosity and change.
- Self-awareness: Reflective understanding and self-regulation.
- Presence: Engaging in the present moment without judgment.
2. Thinking: Developing Cognitive Skills
- Critical Thinking: Evaluating information and perspectives critically.
- Complexity Awareness: Understanding systemic and complex issues.
- Perspective Skills: Embracing and utilising diverse viewpoints.
- Sensemaking: Comprehending and structuring unknown phenomena.
- Long-term Orientation and Visioning: Sustaining commitment to larger visions.
3. Relating: Fostering Empathy and Connection
- Appreciation: Cultivating gratitude and joy.
- Connectedness: Recognising and feeling part of a larger whole.
- Humility: Acting for the greater good without self-importance.
- Empathy and Compassion: Relating with kindness and addressing suffering.
4. Collaborating: Enhancing Social Skills
- Communication Skills: Genuine dialogue and conflict resolution.
- Co-creation Skills: Building collaborative relationships.
- Intercultural Competence: Embracing diversity and inclusivity.
- Trust: Building and maintaining trustful relationships.
- Mobilization Skills: Inspiring and engaging others in shared purposes.
5. Acting: Enabling Change through Agency
- Courage: Taking decisive action and challenging existing norms.
- Creativity: Generating original ideas and disrupting conventions.
- Optimism: Sustaining hope and confidence in meaningful change.
- Perseverance: Remaining determined and engaged despite delays.
Embracing the Inner Development Goals for 2024
Implementing the IDGs isn’t just a personal quest; it’s a global movement toward holistic and sustainable change. The IDGs, offered as an open-access framework, provide a roadmap for individuals and organisations to cultivate essential traits for societal transformation. Throughout 2024 we are launching a FREE coaching program for members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network that explores the Inner Development Goals framework.
Listen to the full episode:
If you’re ready for a transformative 2024—where personal growth and societal evolution intertwine, listen to the full episode of Changemaker Q&A where I explore the IDG framework, and enrol in the New Humanity Inner Development Goals Course to start working towards the goals throughout the year!
