Why Narrative Matters Now
Recent polling has shown that as part of a recovery from Covid-19, the British public backs an ambitious transformation of the UK into a greener, fairer more equal society. At the same time, there is a growing understanding of the importance of narrative in enabling change – we know that the stories we tell determine our direction of travel. So in these uncertain times, with many dynamics pulling us in the opposite direction, how can we use narrative to bring about the societal reset that so many people want?
This moment is being described as a once in a generation opportunity to influence change, leading to a wide array of campaigns focused on recovery/ reset/ transition/ build back better. Many organisations are responding by developing initiatives focused on a just recovery – the result is a crowded narrative space. The Reset Narratives Community has been formed to help coordinate emerging intelligence around how best to frame and communicate recovery – how to create a symphony from the cacophony.
Some organisations are researching, testing and learning about what works. The gap we see is around mobilising and disseminating these findings as broadly as possible, including hosting a conversation between those generating the research to further refine the conclusions and provide guidance to organisations from across sectors.
Team Members
ELLA SALTMARSHE
Ella works with narrative and culture to effect change in the world, founding organisations like The Long Time Project; The Comms Lab that has incubated projects like The Purpose Disruptors & The Great Reset; campaigns like ItsOurTime and SHEvotes. See her SSIR article Using Story to Change Systems. She has also been published in The Guardian, The Financial Times, ID, Wired, Monocle, Fast Company & Creative Review. She is the host of the Long Time Academy Podcast and is represented by The Agency.
PADDY LOUGHMAN
Paddy has spent over a decade working as a communications strategist, across various sectors, including as Strategy Director at Wolff Olins. His focus now is tackling the climate and ecological emergency, with a particular interest in the role played by business and culture. He works with various organisations including The Wellbeing Economy Alliance, The Green Economy Coalition and the UN High Level Climate Champions. He’s the co-author of Stories for Life, a speaker, and a lecturer on brand and storytelling. Once upon a time he trained as an actor.
ALICE SACHRAJDA – GUEST CONVENER
Alice is a consultant specialising in creative research, narratives and strategic communications. She works as a cultural strategy consultant for Unbound Philanthropy. Alice has co-authored two reports exploring the intersection of pop culture and social change in the UK: Riding the Waves and New Brave World. She previously worked as a senior researcher at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Alice is a trustee of Counterpoints Arts (a refugee and migrant arts charity) and she co-chairs her local refugee community sponsorship group. She received a distinction for an MSc in Human Rights at LSE, specialising in migration and displacement.
The Reset Narratives Community has been developed with the Environment Funders Network which is a UK-based network of foundations, family offices and individual donors supporting environmental causes. Its aim is to increase the amount of financial support for environmental causes and to improve its overall effectiveness.