Everyone a Changemaker: Michael Zakaras

In this episode of Future Hindsight, host Mila Atmos interviews Michael Zakaras, director of Ashoka US, about the transformative power of an 'everyone a changemaker' society. Zakaras argues that democracy thrives not just through institutions and elections, but through a vibrant civil society where every individual feels empowered to act on problems they care about. Drawing from Ashoka’s network of 4,000+ social entrepreneurs, he highlights how early experiences of agency—like a child fixing a broken school bench—can spark lifelong civic engagement. He emphasizes that systemic change requires both individual courage and collective infrastructure, citing examples like Civic Saturdays, TurboVote, and participatory defense initiatives. Despite growing threats to civil society—including government defunding and political targeting—Zakaras remains hopeful, pointing to the resilience of changemakers and the need for societal investment in public problem-solving. He calls for a cultural shift that values civic action as much as private sector success, and introduces tools like the Changemaker Index and changemaker density rate to measure civic health.