This is the time to shift from planning to action. It’s time to let people see and experience the change we collectively envision. We can tap into creativity, humor, community, art, digital innovation – or whatever helps to inspire and mobilize.
Be the narrative
It can be inspiring to tell people about the change we want to see in the world. But it is far more inspiring if we are the change. If we enact and embody our narrative in authentic ways, we demonstrate that alternatives to the perceived status quo are possible. This might sound daunting, especially if it is about meta narratives on broader social issues. However, a small action can go a long way in challenging dominant narratives. Look for instance at the success of the Indian feminist collective Parcham to change the narrative on a Muslim neighborhood – with the foundation of a girls soccer club.
For some people, disrupting dominant narratives is not a choice – it’s an inherent part of their life. Whether they’re nurturing as a loving parent, leading within their community, or simply existing authentically, they falsify discriminatory narratives that target specific identities. While amplifying their voices has great strengths, we must avoid engaging with them foremost and exclusively as story-tellers. Instead, we should ask how we can best stand in solidarity and offer support.
Let’s get creative
Making people laugh or surprising people is a great way of getting their attention. Ishtar Lakhani provides handy tips on kickstarting your creative activism, drawing on her playful narrative campaign with sex workers in South Africa.
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If you’re not confident in your own creative skills or ideas, don’t worry—collaboration is key. Search for partners who bring creativity to the table, and make sure their contributions are valued equally. That means recognizing their work not just in words, but also through fair financial compensation—especially when others in the project are being paid.
A powerful example of this kind of collaboration is the Stories 4 Change Initiative. The project brought together a vibrant group of Ugandan creatives—writers, photographers, podcasters, illustrators, and filmmakers—to tell stories that matter. Through a partnership between FOTEA and Oxfam, the collaborative training program supported participants to explore themes like climate change, gender-based violence, shrinking civic space, and indigenous knowledge. From speculative sci-fi to deeply personal narratives, the resulting works reflect a shared goal: to connect with audiences emotionally and inspire action.
Meet people where they are
Literally, bring your narrative to the (online and physical) spaces where people from your target audience engage in. Take for example the initiative of the Venezuelan organization ProVene that participated in JustLab’s narrative labs. The human rights lawyers hired a food truck to offer basic goods (food, water, power) to deprived communities, together with free legal advice, countering the harmful narrative of detached human rights advocates. Meeting people where they are also applies more figuratively to the necessity to translate your narrative to different target audiences. Find out what people find funny, interesting and worth sharing to compel stories, messages and actions that resonate.
Foster a sense of community and invite interaction
Ideally, people are not just exposed to your narrative work but engaged in it. In this way, they are more likely to internalize the alternative narratives you seek to promote, and to carry them forward through their own stories and actions.
The Cinemata Currents film festival embraced this idea wholeheartedly. Rather than simply screening impactful films, the organizers created opportunities for deeper connection. Audiences could join online “Talk-back Sessions” and virtual workshops with filmmakers and subject-matter experts, fostering meaningful dialogue around the themes explored on screen. These virtual conversations were complemented by in-person watch parties across several Asian countries, offering intimate spaces for viewers to come together, reflect, and discuss.
Caring for yourself and others
We must be aware that challenging harmful narratives is emotionally intense, especially for those of us whose identities are suppressed and attacked by harmful narratives. If appropriate, incorporate methods of radical healing, love, and care into your narrative processes, as presented in the Feminist Influencing Basket of Resources. When we communicate alternative narratives, we must be prepared for a certain extent of backlash. Safer Storytellers provides a range of resources, guides, courses and emergency assistance for visual storytellers under (legal, physical, emotional, or digital) attack. It is important to respect everyone’s choice if, how, and when they want to share their personal stories as part of a collective narrative. Consent to reshare stories should be established and confirmed on an ongoing basis.Starting with yourself
Every narrative process should start with ourselves: Which narratives are we reproducing – through words and actions? Stories are deeply ingrained in our memory. It can be a painful but also insightful process to realize which stories shaped us. You could for example adapt the Master’s House of the WeRise-Toolkit to start thinking about it.
It is an act of liberation to no longer comply with dominant narratives. We can create new stories through alternative ways of being and doing. In the Art of Activism Workbook, you find exercises to reflect on your own ethical code and the way you are practicing it. Beautiful Trouble suggests anti-oppression practices to transform oppressive dynamics in our organizing.