Socialism

I have no complete answer, but I'd like to share what happened in my neighborhood.
TLDR we neet to meet them where they are

A group of climate-biodiversity activists tried to get people to come to educational workshops.
They got a few of us, the ones that were already interested in the topic and who are priviledged enough to spend time and energy on other stuff that work, commuting, family care and basic survival/comfort. But after that, the workshops were empty.

So they tried a different approach. For over a year, they organized activities perceived as fun and/or useful by the neighborhood.
Think collective soup cooking and soup parties for which didnt have to pay, kids activites for parents who have trouble paying for child extrascholar stuff, furniture/cosmetics DIY cheap and well made, bike repair afternoons, drinks at one's or the other's place...
Beginnings were not easy, but little by little word got out, they got better at understanding what other people actually need, trust began to emerge, disagreements found a space to be discussed and overcome....
Not everything went well, some people take and never give back, some other are outright jerks (mostly out of racism and misogyny), some (like me) don't like group settings and almost never come, half the original organizers burnt out...

But the result is impressive. Last time a workshop about climate change was organized, they had to schedule 6 sessions over a month to fit everyone. That's still a very tiny part of the inhabitants but it's so much more than at the beginning!
The last vegetarian "cook and eat" gathered a lot of people, we see a lot more bikes in use in the streets, more plants at the windows and people talk to each other much more often...

And I believe the neighborhood is nearing the point where popular education can happen, be it about environment, politics, societal evolution etc.

Were this to happen in multiple neighborhoods across a city, in multiple cities across a country and in rural areas structures (which I don't know a lot about), well maybe you could start getting people interested about socialism, maybe I could get them interested in anarchy ;)

So while I don't think this is going to be enough in and of itself but it looks like a first step that's necessary to go further.

I also believe this is gonna take a long time, face strong backlash and many setbacks, and I don't believe it's gonna happen before I die. But being a part of enabling socialism or anarchy to happen at a later date is a legacy I'd be more than happy with.

Socialism isn't just a national system of government. Socialism is a mindset, a set of values, a way of life.

Socialism is already happening in pockets and small groups. Often the less they overtly advertise their socialism, the more socialist they can be - because people love socialism in practice despite being taught to hate it in theory. Doing small scale organizing is reasonable and achievable. Direct action is going to get you places in the short term, because it is local and focused on the goals of you and your comrades. Forming a tenants union, organizing at your workplace, joining a cooperative -- these are all direct actions you can take right now, and not only help you in the short term, but will build a bridge to much bigger things in the future.

If you feel small steps are just a circle jerk, if you are waiting for some large watershed moment where everyone else decides to live under socialism, you're going to have a bad time. You shouldn't expect yourself or anyone else to be able to effect sudden utopian change. But you do have incredible agency in deciding how you live. By participating in the small direct actions, you can see how socialism can improve your life first hand, not just in theory. You can get first-hand experience with leaders and comrades, and build your intuition about whether groups are actually socialist, or just another version of oppression. Changing the world may seem impossible if you focus on the big picture, the secret is focusing on changing yourself to be a better person, someone who will thrive and help others to thrive in a socialist world. I find hope in learning to connect better with others, and learning through my interactions with them what kinds of alternate societies can be possible. Every step in self-improvement, every breakthrough you make in your own journey changes the world in a real, tangible way for the better.