📢 Narrative & Culture Change Roundup #37
A warm hello to you all,
In Other Words is back in your inboxes with a flurry of links, mainly to pieces reflecting on COP26 and the way forward from here.
In keeping with the COP26 detox theme, I discovered a wonderful project that I thought I'd share with you all. Radio Lento is a podcast which produces 'landscape sound postcards' from beautiful places in the world, providing an opportunity to immerse yourself in nature no matter where you are or what you're doing. Have a listen - best with earphones.
With love,
Ruth
p.s. A quick shout out to students joining us from Westminster's MA in Media, Campaigning and Social Change that I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with last week, discussing values, campaigning and culture change. It's great to have you!
THE LINKS
Articles, reports & podcasts.
'Nurture a new point of view’ by Aadya Sharma, as part of the ArtistsForChange.org competition.
Words to Win By Season 2 Season 2 of Anat Shenker-Osorio’s fantastic podcast is here! Join the team as they travel from Switzerland to Arizona to the Dominican Republic to examine the words, tactics and strategies used to win some of the fiercest campaign fights. Not one to miss! [Words to Win By]
3 Tropes of White Victimhood A brilliant article in The Atlantic exploring three narratives employed by the American right to portray that white people are under siege and how these narratives can be traced back to Reconstruction. [The Atlantic]
The values which underpin capitalism A twitter thread by the Common Cause Foundation reflecting on the values which underpin the capitalist narrative and what this might suggest for activism going forward. [Twitter]
Is a greener world possible? Issue 4 of the New Economics Foundation Zine is out! This edition focuses on how to subvert the narrative of an ‘easy fix’ to solve the climate crisis and instead presents how our economy needs to change in order for us to create a healthier relationship with the more-than-human world. [New Economics Foundation]
Sonnets for Solidarity with the Earth One for the poetry fans! A collection of nice eco-poems performed at COP26 to help inspire change in the way we think and act. [Atmos]
Ten ways to confront the climate crisis without losing hope My fav writer, Rebecca Solnit, is at it again - making me feel all the feels and saying so beautifully and insightfully what is in so many people’s hearts. In this long-read for The Guardian, Rebecca sets out 10 tools to help us attend to our inner wellbeing, as well as the outward work of solving the climate crisis, and perceptively notes that these two things are not necessary separate jobs. [The Guardian] [Recommend by my partner, who has to hear me babble on about my love for Rebecca's writing a lot...]
From Blue Planet to RuPaul’s Drag Race - how content can change the world Check out this blog to find out more about OKRE’s work and how they catalyse the creation of entertainment, which shifts perceptions. [OKRE] [Recommended by Alice Sachrajda]
To segment or not to segment? A brilliant piece by Bec Sanderson for PIRC that gets under the skin of audience segmentation. A super important read for all those attempting to engage ‘the public’. [PIRC]
Artists must confront the climate crisis - we must write as if there are the last days Ben Okri in The Guardian, writing about the need for “existential creativity”. He poses the question “if you knew you were at the last days of the human story, what would you write?” - powerful stuff, and as to be expected, beautifully and richly written. [The Guardian]
Climate action needs culture A great video with a super important message that climate change requires culture change! [Twitter] [Recommended by Lina Kabbadj]
Building the climate movement An interesting discussion has begun on twitter between George Monbiot and Alex Evans about what it means to progress climate activism and who needs to be included in the fold for true change to be achieved. Check out Alex’s original thread, George’s thread and then Alex’s reply thread to George… still with me? [Twitter]
The Great Unflattening The wonderful Phoebe Tickell writes on the importance of feeling differently in order to shift the future. Check out the great and exciting work of Moral Imaginations by reading this short blog. [Medium]
The Long Time Academy - a new podcast! Narrative expert, Ella Saltmarshe, has launched a new podcast exploring how we engage with time and the ways that we can be good ancestors. Not one to miss! [Ella Saltmarshe]
UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Things for the calendar.
Memes, Myths and Existential Art: the far right & the end of the world
A panel event hosted by the Future Narratives Lab exploring narratives and ideas currently driving far-right activism and violence.
Tuesday 24 November
5pm - 6pm GMT
£6
Online
* Job Klaxon * New Citizenship Project are looking for a Projects Lead (maternity cover)
If you have experience in leading projects and are behind NCP’s mission of catalysing the citizen shift, this might be a great role for you!
Salary: £37-45k
Location: London/home working
Contract: Full time for 6 months with the option to extend
Deadline to apply: 30th November
Care Jam 2021
Care Jam 2021 is a 7-day game jam, where game developers, creators and people with lived experience of care develop new gaming concepts that uplift stories of care and the people who do it, and help us reimagine a world where care is collective, visible and valued. The cutting edge of narrative change work! You can join as a team or as a solo developer.
Thursday 2 Dec - Thursday 9 Dec
Free
Online
Words to Live By
Clever people saying clever things.