This paper, developed by Soul City staff in 2010 to assist them with their work, describes the following influences that shaped their social and behaviour change model: critical reflection; the broader context in which the model is implemented; the international debate on effective social and behaviour change communication; and the evidence of programme impact. The foundation of Soul City’s theory of change has always been the synergy between a health promotion model and a societal model:  Soul City aims to impact positively on health and social outcomes by addressing the broader social and community environments, the social-interpersonal environment and individual determinants of health.