Your narrative and culture change roundup! 📢
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A cheery hello to you,
The sun in shining here in London as I hit send on edition #44 of In Other Words. I hope wherever in the world you are, this newsletter finds you happy, healthy and hopeful.
I always feel the need to apologise when sending a super long newsletter, and this one is definitely that, with a bumper crop of links to explore! As always cherry-pick what you're most drawn to, leave the rest and get on with living your life :)
In solidarity,
Ruth x
p.s. Have you seen that my fav writer, Rebecca Solnit, has joined twitter?
THE LINKS
Articles, reports & podcasts.
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“We all share the moon” created by my incredible frienleague (that’s friend-colleague) at CCF, Elsie Roderiques, this poem reminds us of our interconnection with one another and the universe we call home.
Narrative Emergency Kit: How should we prepare for the next crisis? In this excellent piece, Brett Davidson, Narrative Lead for the International Resource for Impact and Storytelling (IRiS), reflects on the impact that shocking events can have on the narratives underpinning how we understand the world, and how change makers can prepare ahead of time to make the most of these moments. [Story for Impact]
Political Experts React to Critical Race Theory Ads A great lil video listening to Anat Shenker-Osorio and Dan Pfeiffer react to newly released political ads in the US. I so desperately want this style of video to take off in the UK, reflecting on the implications for different cultural narratives and values being reinforced by NGO, political and consumer ads. Any funders out there willing to put some money into making it happen? * flutters eyelids * [YouTube]
Next stop, Sylvia Plath! Why it is time to redraw the London Underground map I love this project by Reni Eddo-Lodge, Rebecca Solnit and Emma Watson, who created a new London tube map where every station is named after a woman or non-binary person. A brilliant reminder that narrative change is not just a project of words, but also a project of our lived environment. [The Guardian]
A Future For All of Us A wonderful report by those involved in the Butterfly Lab for Immigrant Narrative Strategy, sharing learnings, frameworks and tools on how to build narrative power. I highly recommend setting the time aside to dive deep into this one! [Race Forward]
It’s All About Power Narrative change is a practice of power transformation, as power is upheld by dominant cultural narratives and social norms. This guide, the result of a two-year collaborative inquiry hosted by Sheila McKechnie Foundation, aims to support those in the social sector to develop a more complex and systemic understanding of power in order to better create strategies to transform it. [Sheila McKechnie Foundation]
Change the Narrative, Change the World A new report from Define American looking at how immigrant characters are represented in TV shows and how immigration storylines changed audiences’ intention to take action in support of immigrants. [Define American]
How Talking About ‘Humanity’ and Not ‘Crisis’ Can Aid All Refugees Right Now Thomas Coombes, the most hopeful guy in human rights (getting you that on a t-shirt, Thomas!), has written this excellent piece for The New Humanitarian calling for NGOs and media outlets to do more to embrace a ‘humanity’ narrative and not fall back into old habits of invoking fear and despair in order to raise awareness. [The New Humanitarian]
Cara Mertes on Storytelling for Impact - Hear Cara Mertes, Founding Director of IRiS, explore the importance of transformative stories, based on values of connection and community, on the Philanthropy Bites podcast. [Buzzsprout]
What Could Possibly Go Right?: Episode 70 with Peter Lipman I really enjoyed this podcast, listening to Peter Lipman reflect on the importance of cultural change in this time of multiple, global crises, and especially his emphasis on how we need to generate shifts in both Culture, with a capital ‘C’, but also in the physical spaces we inhabit. [Resilience]
A Matter of Life and Death A new report by The Health Foundation and FrameWorks UK examining the way that people think about their health and the health of others, and recommending a framing strategy to help build greater support for action to address the wider determinants of health. As is always the case with FrameWorks research, the guide is super practical with some great do’s and don’t. [The Health Foundation]
Who Owns The Story? Some brand new research exploring how audiences respond to stories of poverty when controlled and created by the people directly in the image, as opposed to stories designed by INGO staff. Spoiler: very well. (I would add, even if they hadn’t performed better it would still be the right thing to do!) [Amref UK]
Photographing Protest: Resistance through a Feminist Lens - in pictures A new exhibition has opened in Bethnal Green in London this month, showcasing photos captured by female and non-binary photojournalists, of decades of protests. Can’t wait to go and see some of our activist-forebears. [The Guardian]
Grief Belongs in Social Movements. Can We Embrace It? A fascinating and beautifully written piece, by Malkia Devish-Cyril, about the narratives surrounding grief - both individually felt and generational - and the role of social justice organisations in building the social infrastructure to transform grief into collective agency. [In These Times]
Revitalising Artistic Activism in the Age of Art-Wash Composer and climate justice campaigner, Chris Garrad, writes for Red Pepper how art needs to not be seen as an activist-add on, but as a fundamental approach to activism in and of itself. I particularly liked this final sentence: "As the climate crisis intensifies, the challenge is not to simply make more art about climate change. It’s to make art that creatively and collaboratively strengthens the demand for climate justice – and embodies it too.” In my owns, art that strengthens the underlying narratives and values we need in order to create the public appetite and cultural surround for greater change to happen. [Red Pepper]
Can Changing the Narrative Change Society? An interesting look at how narrative strategy is being explored at UK organisation, Animal Think Tank, to move society towards Animal Freedom. [Plant Based News]
Meeting People Where They Are At? Sure, Just Don’t Leave Them There Penned by a group of authors working in international development, this blog published on the BOND website is in response to the We The Helpers campaign launched earlier this year by the Aid Alliance, a group of UK NGOs working to build public support for UK aid. I wholeheartedly agree with what’s written here and want to thank the authors for saying what has been said so many times before, but with renewed energy, commitment and clarity. It looks like there’s still some way to go! I would also recommend anyone who wants to delve into this further to read Finding Frames - it’s an oldie, but such a goodie. [BOND]
Criminal Justice Reform Phrase Guide A great new resource by the folks at The Opportunity Agenda giving some tips on how to effectively promote a more equitable and accurate discourse around the justice system. [Opportunity Agenda]
No More Nonprofit Heroes Two links in one here, as Ettie Bailey-King has written a brilliantly thorough two-part series, exploring the ‘us and them’ narrative found within much NGO work today and what needs to happen in order to shift towards a more transformation alternative. [Fighting Talk]
Belonging, Care, and Repair A new report presenting three alternative worlds in 2036. I haven’t found the time to read this in full yet, but loving how it’s presented and looking forward to grabbing a cup of tea and stepping into the future. [Careful Industries]
What Heroes and Villains Across Cultures Can Teach Us A short but fascinating read looking at different story traditions from across the world. [Stronger Stories]
UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Things for the calendar.
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Seminar #17: Cassie Robinson - Imagination Infrastructuring
Join Cassie Robinson to hear more about work happening in the UK to seed and grow an imagination infrastructure.
Tuesday 12 April
12 - 1pm BST
Online
Free, but registration is required
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*Job Klaxon* Freelance Popchange Producer (TV/Film)
Counterpoints Arts is looking for a freelance producer to help launch their pop culture and social change work in TV and film.
Fee: £10k for 50 days work from May 2022 to February 2023
Location: Must be UK based
Deadline to apply: Tuesday 12th April, 6pm
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The folks at Dancing Fox are inviting activists, artists, and change makers to a full day masterclass in the Power of Story. It’s a deep dive into how story can make your campaigns more effective, your communications more powerful, and give your fundraising more heart.
Monday 14 April
London
Tickets are £300 (but do get in touch with the team if that’s going to cause you any problems)
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In conversation with Jon Alexander and Irenie Ekkeshis
Join Jon and Irenie, the founders of the New Citizenship Project, to explore what it would mean to live as citizens instead of consumers.
Wednesday 27 April
5 - 6 pm BST
Online
Tickets are £10 (with some bursary placements)
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*Job Klaxon* Senior Communications Strategist for FrameWorks UK
Join the FrameWorks UK team to lead lots of awesome framing research projects.
Location: London, but with flexibility to work elsewhere
Salary: £45-50k
Deadline to apply: Monday 2 May, midnight
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Making Space: Decolonial Interventions in Contemporary Art
Convened by Susuana Amoah, the Sussex University Stuart Hall Fellow 2022, this panel will explore some of the imaginative decolonial strategies used by artists, curators and activists in recent years to address cultural inequity in public art institutions.
Monday 16 May
7 - 8.30pm BST
Royal Pavilion Music Room, Brighton
Tickets from £10
Words to Live By
Clever people saying clever things.
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