In this Hive Mind Community Podcast episode, we dive deep into constructive and alternative ways of building narratives based on hope.
Hope: a word that embodies the many activities, ways of thinking, and values that unite civil society organizations across the world.
Could hope be at the core of activists' communication with the outside world? Or is it impossible to build a narrative around inequalities, injustice, and human rights violations in this way?
Mainstream media often keep audiences on a heightened emotional level, consistently highlighting drama, problems, and the dangers of the world we live in. We frequently see "poly-crisis" narratives, built around risks, threats, and the edgy context of today’s world.
How does this influence people? How should civil society organizations and activists communicate both internally and externally?
We present a concrete proposal from one of the most inspirational organizations—Hope-based Communications—shared by its founder, Thomas Coombes. In our conversation, Thomas discusses his experiences and how organizations worldwide have shifted toward hope-centered communication strategies.
In this Hive Mind Community Podcast episode, you'll gain knowledge and inspiration as we explore these (and more) questions:
How have the communications of social movements, activists, and NGOs changed over the last 15 years?
How should NGOs address fears, threats, victims, and problems while still getting their message across to their audience?
How can communication be crafted to ensure it is heard and understood?
Why is hope so significant in life and communication? What is hope-based communication?
What are the key components of building hope-based narratives?
What are some examples of successful hope-based communication campaigns and their impact?
Take some time to listen to the interview, gain inspiration, and—most importantly—find some hope for your own actions.
Our podcast is available on the Hive Mind Community channel on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Podcast:
Thomas Coombes – a global communications strategist who developed hope-based communications to help human rights and other progressive movements develop new narratives for social change. He has spent 15 years working in political communications for Amnesty International, Transparency International, the European Commission, and global PR firm Hill & Knowlton. Thomas is a founder of Hope-based Communications, a community of activists who want to put communications and campaigning at the heart of social change work. The idea of hope-based communications developed over several years from 2017 to 2019. The goal is to help civil society groups reach people as effectively as politicians and businesses.
The podcast was recorded and mixed at "Podcastownia Ciekawość" (Warsaw, Poland)
🎙 Podcast host: Joanna Krukowska (TechSoup Europe)
🎵 Music by Zykovich Yauheni aka JJ
📆 Podcast recorded on June 17, 2024
This podcast episode was recorded as a part of TechSoup's Digital Activism Program and was funded by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.
✔️🔗 If you want to boost your creative powers and learn to craft empowering positive narratives, register for our free, self-paced course on the subject! Follow the link in the button to sign up: 👇
