The session examined how strategic storytelling reshapes civic education and activism, showcasing methods for building persuasive narratives that spark participation and catalyse social change. Participants left equipped with practical, imaginative techniques for weaving hope into their communications and energising wider audiences.

Hope-based communication is a simple, five-shift approach that applies insights from neuroscience and psychology to social change. It helps civil society groups shift from reactive campaigns to strategies for attitude, behaviour and culture change. Hundreds of activists around the world are using hope-based communication to change how they think, feel, speak and act.

The session was led by Thomas Coombes who created hope-based communication in 2017 after 15 years working in communication for international organisations like Amnesty International, Transparency International and the European Commission. Thomas is on a mission to apply brain science to human rights and make compassion common sense in politics and society. He shares strategies for social change on the hope-based Substack.

* Be first in line for the hope-based communication training community launch:
Later this year, a member-sustained space will be launched, where people can learn the hope-based approach and train their hope muscle. Sign up for the waiting list here to be among the first to join.

You can find most of these topics discussed in this webinar in more detail on Substack. You can follow Thomas on LinkedIn, Instagram and Bluesky and Hope-based communication on Instagram and LinkedIn.