Creating the Future Podcast: Professor Copeland on Confidence, Skills, and Solidarity as Drivers of Change
What does it actually take to make change happen? For Phillipe Copeland, clinical associate professor at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) the answer starts with rethinking the stories we tell about how change works.
Copeland was recently featured on “Creating the Future,” a podcast hosted by Hildy Gottlieb that explores how communities and organizations build a better world. In the episode, Copeland introduced what he calls the Change Equation, a framework he has developed through years of work as a public scholar, educator and social worker. The equation combines four elements: confidence, skills, opportunities, and solidarity. When those forces come together, Copeland argues, the likelihood of meaningful change goes up significantly.
A recurring theme in the conversation is the difference between how we mythologize change and how it actually unfolds. Copeland challenges the familiar narrative of the singular, heroic changemaker in favor of a more honest account, one rooted in collective action and shared commitment. That reframing, he suggests, is not just philosophical. It has direct implications for how social workers approach their practice and how BUSSW prepares students to enter the field.
Copeland also draws on his teaching at BUSSW to illustrate how the Change Equation translates in the classroom, connecting theory to the real conditions students will face as practitioners and advocates.
In addition to teaching at BUSSW, Copeland hosts the “From Issues to Action” podcast and has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Daily Beast and The Hill, among other outlets. His areas of expertise include antiracist education and practice, justice through narratives, and health equity.
Listen to the full episode of “Creating the Future” here.
Learn More about Professor Phillipe Copeland