Newsletter #31
Narrative system | The unknown | Relationship anarchy
Hi folks,
Hope you’re well out there.
We’re looking forward to our next session on 26 September, on what can be learnt from 20 years of climate communications, curated by Adam Corner. All details via the link below. For those who will be busy with New York Climate Week – best of luck! – the recording will be circulated in the following newsletter.
Plenty to share below as usual, including an interesting example of coordinated, deep narrative change from the USA – a topic that we at Inter-Narratives are curious about at the moment.
Shared in solidarity
Public Session
When Climate Communication Works (and When it Doesn’t)
Adam Corner with Alex Randall, Suzanne Dhaliwal, and Russell Warfield
Bringing together four specialists with unique takes on what makes for powerful, effective climate communication – and why – this conversation will explore lessons learned from campaigns, case studies of climate communication that have really landed, and examples that really haven’t.
Chaired by Adam Corner (Climate Barometer), the panelists will rummage around in the climate comms back catalogue (which by now stretches over more than two decades), and shine a light on the most exciting and challenging campaigns around right now.
Are we learning from our mistakes? What’s the next frontier for campaigns to navigate in terms of communication and public engagement? What aren't we getting right yet?
Shares
Key: 📝 Article | 📋 Report | 🎬 Film | 🎙️ Podcast | ⚙️ Tool
Embracing The Unknown
Bayo Akomolefe, The Aspen Institute
“How do we break the cycle? How do we stop history from repeating itself? Bayo answers this question simply: “I have no clue. But that’s the point. If I had a clue, it might just be modernity repeating its thesis.” In his insightful presentation at the 2024 Resnick Aspen Action Forum, “Bayo emphasizes the importance of embracing the unfamiliar and untapped aspects of life to redefine leadership, aiming to transcend conventional dichotomies and categorizations ingrained in our systems. He also highlights the necessity for creativity and playfulness—our worldview extends beyond simplistic binaries like ‘good versus evil’ or ‘darkness versus light.’ Our environment and future are far richer, more dynamic, and varied, offering a plethora of color and diversity to appreciate, celebrate, and look forward to exploring.”
#deepnarrative
🎬 See here
Emotional regulation explains the benefits of nature contact and connection
Miles Richardson; Finding Nature
“Nature is much more than a pill to pop, there are much deeper connections and a story to tell how nature keeps us well, rather than restores us…The role of nature in the regulation of emotions has been overlooked despite evidence that people seek out nature to manage their moods… (As various new reports show) “it’s increasingly clear that the benefits of nature contact and connection can be explained by changes in emotion regulation. As such, frameworks explaining how nature benefits wellbeing need to be updated to include emotion regulation in addition to restoration. Nature helps manage our moods and keep us well.”
#deepnarrative #tactics
Why Climate Disinformation Matters
Emily Sanders; ExxonKnews
“Tackling climate deception isn’t about demeaning the real concerns of people who ‘understand — often in ways office workers like me don’t — the complexity of building out new systems,’ or about labeling those people as having been ‘programmed by a fossil-fueled conspiracy’… the power policymakers have in determining how public money is spent makes them a prime target of climate disinformation — and one of the most important audiences for accountability reporting and advocacy… Combating deception and pursuing real climate action aren’t mutually exclusive — they’re necessarily intertwined. Who does it serve to frame it any other way?”
#tactics
Capitalism Has Eroded British Identity
Ash Sarkar; Novara Media
#deepnarrative
🎬 See here
Yep, it’s the cone… but look a little closer
Frank W. Spencer IV
“From the foundations of a different world system and narrative - one that fosters a healthy individuation that unlocks a ‘We, Us, and All of Us (biome, planetary, cosmos)’ perspective that produces futures of diverse integration and intentional evolutionary consciousness, we would likely see very different trends, issues, and outcomes that were inherently generative/regenerative, pluriversal, transrational, and co-creatively empowering. What technologies might emerge in such a world, and for what purpose? (The latter answers the former.) What governance models would emerge, and how would we even define governance? What, why, and how is learning? What would the ‘human’ experience be? What questions might be asked in such a system and narrative that we can't even think to ask within today's specious and illusory way of life?”
#narrativestrategy
Perceptions of a Just Transition in the Built Environment
Demos Helsinki, 89up, Laudes Foundation
“Given the significant impact of the built environment, how can we frame messaging in a way that secures broad buy-in and attracts more attention to the urgent transition needed in the sector? This report tested three distinct narratives through a large-scale poll, surveying 20,229 people across 10 European countries—the largest study of its kind on this topic. The three narratives emphasise the importance of a built environment transition in different manners: Pragmatic, Futuristic, and Insecurity. Through the poll results, these narratives are proven to significantly influence respondents' view on the topic of built environment transition.”
#messaging #insight
https://www.systemcatalysts.com/blog/how-to-work-with-state-governments?kid=01HPTC62NVEK86ECEV0JT1VHMZ
How to Tell a Story So That Everyone Listens
Matthew Dicks, Shane Parrish; The Knowledge Project
“Learn what makes a story truly resonate with an audience, how to identify and highlight the pivotal moments that create emotional impact, the architecture of compelling stories, how to structure narratives for maximum engagement and how to use techniques like suspense, stakes, and humor to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.” This conversation covers broad frameworks and the granular details, rooted in the understanding that “no one wants to hear anything you ever have to say unless you give them a reason to listen.“ Also see.
#narrativestrategy #tactics
🎙️ Listen here
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_piA7VNaf_/?igsh=MXhjNWFkMGI4Znd0eg==
Campaigning and Activism: What Funders Think
Social Change Lab
“The survey found that most funders were open to supporting campaigners/activists. 71% said they currently give some level of support to these groups and most valued campaigning/activism as a tool for change: on a scale of 0-5, the average was 4.4/5: ‘very valuable’. The average level of giving was considerably lower; again on a scale of 0-5, the average level of giving 2.57; ‘some of my giving’… There are solutions to many of the problems identified… We believe that there are many encouraging findings from this research in terms of the potential to increase support for campaigners and activists.”
#tactics
https://commoncausefoundation.org/a-continuing-dialogue/
https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/hodder-press-lands-sewells-finding-albion-after-heated-eight-way-auction
The future of global capitalism
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/work-doesnt-change-join-word-force-6oflc/
IMAGE
Courses & Events
Key: 🎓 Course | 🗓️ Event
Facing Human Wrongs 2.0: Climate Complexity and Relational Accountability – next cycle
University of Victoria, Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures
Open now
“This six-week online intensive course was designed to guide you through an exploration of the ongoing systemic violence we perpetuate towards one another and the planet we are part of. This transformative journey aims to support you in processing your responses, moving away from guilt and shame, and cultivating a compass of sobriety, maturity, discernment, and responsibility. This course provides an innovative pedagogy where you are offered tools to gradually expand your capacity to confront difficult and painful issues without demanding quick fixes or feeling overwhelmed and immobilized. These tools will also support you in navigating complexity and holding space for uncertainty, ambivalence and paradoxes. In this course, we invite you to "dig deeper and relate wider" in a life-long and life-wide inquiry about how we can show up to each other and to the planet differently in these challenging times.”
“The course expands on the invitations of the book "Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism" and the work of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Collective. Half of the proceeds of the course will be redistributed to the Indigenous communities in South America (Huni Kui, Tremembé, Pitaguary and Fulni-ô Indigenous communities) of the land and water protectors who have inspired and supported the pedagogical intent and approach of this course.”
🎓 Register
100 Days: Dismantling Disinfo, Defending Democracy
Disinfo Defence League
Three months, 7 events | Sep 10, 12, 18, 23, 24, Oct 1, 3 | Online US
“In the face of well-funded projects and plans to curtail our rights, to define our identities, and foreclose our future, Disinfo Defense League is here to help us all dismantle disinformation and defend democracy. Over the next three months, DDL will host 100 Days: Dismantling Disinfo, Defending Democracy, which includes this public panel series featuring expert speakers from across the field of mis- and disinformation studies. We’re bringing together organizers, advocates, researchers and academics to address some of the most pertinent topics and questions this election cycle. Register below to learn more about this year’s voting ecosystem, gaining trust among your community, what’s really at stake when it comes to election disinformation, and more.”
Intuition Maps
Beccy Mccray
Sep 15, 2pm | Irchester Country Park
“Intuition Maps is a co-created artwork which invites participants & visitors to reflect on animal instincts - that of the more-than-human world & their own. It does this in the context of climate change adaptation, observing the instinctive mass movement of people & animals, seeking to draw comparisons between the two. Intuition Maps aims to generate a sense connectedness with each other & the more-than-human world, whilst seeding new narratives around empathy, solidarity & hope - much needed in today’s political landscape.”
🗓️ Tickets
Collective Imagination Practices Toolkit Launch Webinar
Sepi Noohi, Hannah Thomas Uose; JRF Emerging Futures
Sep 18 | 2:00PM BST | Online
“The Collective Imagination Practices Toolkit is a curated selection of collective imagination tools, methods and frameworks from practitioners internationally. It is intentionally open source, with 19 tools across 6 thematic areas, exploring civic imagination, temporal imagination, ecological imagination, collective and somatic intelligences, and various frameworks for reframing and unpacking the systems and challenges of our time. Join us online to learn about why JRF is investing in collective imagination practice, the toolkit contents, and how you can get involved in an online learning community for those experimenting with its practices. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to practise collective imagination live through a practitioner-led demonstration!”
New Economies Narrative Lab
Partners For a New Economy, Culture Hack Labs
Deadline: 27 Sep | Runs 24 Oct 2024 - 16 Jan 2025 | 6 x 90-min online sessions | 5:00-6:30pm GMT
“Are you interested in the power of narratives? Do you see the deep patterns and logic within the dominant culture? Do you actively look for ways to disrupt mainstream narratives and help create better stories? Do you believe that shifting the underlying mythology is a critical part of systemic change? Over three months, we will explore our five-phase method for 'Culture Hacking', learn tools for narrative-led systems change, explore case studies and create space for practice. We encourage participants to attend all sessions live, as each session builds on the foundations of the last. However, life happens, and if you have a conflict with one of the live classes, we can provide you with the replay.”
We Are A Sea: Together We Make Waves
Beccy Mccray
Sep 28-29 | Hastings
“WE ARE A SEA is a new headline for Hastings, one which reflects the growing ocean of solidarity, hope, and possibility here within our local community. By the people, for the people, WE ARE A SEA launches with a curated weekend of fun activities celebrating the local heroes who help keep our seas and shoreline clean, safe, and welcoming. It takes place in action hubs located along the seafront and the entire, decentralised festival is free for all to enjoy. WE ARE A SEA. Together we make waves.”
🗓️ See here
Quotes
(This selection of quotes is intended as a resource, in the hope that they may be useful for your own communications.)
“The affluence we aspire to has been purchased at an unpayable price. The myth that sustained us, is in the process of undoing us.” – Tim Jackson
"The dominant narrative is usually apologism for the dominant power system." – Daniel Schmachtenberger
“Seek more to understand than to be understood." – St. Francis
“Bruv, just eat the plants, it's calm” – JME
Thanks for joining us, see you here again in two weeks.
A reminder that if you have something that you’d love to see in these newsletters, or work you’d like to share in the community sessions, or if you have any feedback, please reach out at inter-narratives@greenfunders.org
Very best,
Paddy & Ella