SECTION 1: S YSTEM CHAPTER 4 - AUTONOMY IS MYTH Every part of a system depends on other parts of the same system, and sometimes on other systems. We are influenced by many interdependent, tangible and intangible systems, from people and institutions to values and norms. Every ecosystem has at least one keystone species - an organism that is critical to the survival of others in the ecosystem, and to keeping the system in balance. Its removal can cause irreparable damage. This is exactly what happened with the decline of sea otters off the coast of Alaska. In the 1990s the hunting of whales and sea lions removed two primary food sources for local orcas. When the orcas then began to increase their hunting of sea otters, the sea otter population dropped dramatically, causing sea urchins to reproduce unchecked. The urchins killed off the huge underwater kelp forests which normally provided food and shelter for thousands of ocean species.* Multiple ecosystems work with each other all the time. Perhaps the best known example is of the different systems and relationships connected to a child: the family (parents and siblings), the school (teachers), the state (funding for education types), culture and class (norms and attitudes).** So to understand how to influence one system, we need to be aware of the others that interact with it. In Chapter 1 we showed how to use a soil chart to map a single system. In this Chapter we propose extending this soil chart to see how this system is interacting with and influencing others. We look at dependencies, tipping points (to consider the key moments that could kickstart change) and consequences (to see what might happen if we increased or decreased certain factors at different levels). story: bolivia's water war tool: systems triggers & consequences Take your soil chart from Chapter 3. Rewind 50 years and fast forward 100 years. When you do this, ask yourself: What does the system look like? Does it need to change? When or where are the tipping points where change could happen, e.g. rainforest turning to savannah? What are the consequences? What are the dependencies across these system levels? Who or what is directly affected, e.g. natural resources, keystone species, socioeconomic groups, cultural beliefs? Take your time and feel free to step up and down through the levels. Challenge your assumptions about why this system works in these different places. In 1999, Bolivia, under pressure from the World Bank, privatized the water system in Cochabamba, a city of 800,000 people. The government handed control to a foreign company, Aguas del Tunari, which led to severe price hikes and the takeover of local water systems, creating widespread discontent. Campaigners sought to stop the privatization, reverse the water price hikes, and protect the local water systems. They did this in the following ways: Connecting Systems and Stakeholders: Local Response: Initially, local professionals and small-scale farmers raised concerns but were ignored. However, as the impact spread, various groups including water cooperatives, neighborhood associations, labor unions, and factory workers joined forces. Forming a Coalition: These groups formed La Coordinadora, led by union activist Óscar Olivera, uniting diverse stakeholders to fight against the privatization. Shutdown of the country: Public Mobilizations: La Coordinadora organized mass protests and road blockades, involving urban and rural workers, students, and ordinary citizens. They demanded the government end the contract with Aguas del Tunari, repeal the new water law, and reverse the price hikes. The protests reached a peak in April 2000 with widespread demonstrations and blockades. Symbolic Actions and Solidarity: Protesters used symbolic actions like burning unpaid water bills and organizing non-violent demonstrations, which gathered widespread support and media attention. Even as protests sometimes faced police violence, the diverse participation from all parts of society showed strong unity against the privatization - centering the message of the fundamental right to water for human life. Media and Global Attention: International Awareness: News of the protests and the involvement of Bechtel (a major corporation) spread globally through media and internet campaigns, drawing international attention and support. The government underestimated how well interconnected local, regional and national actors across the Who and How levels could combine to effectively shut down the country’s infrastructure and economy. The government eventually agreed to revoke Aguas del Tunari's contract and return control of the water system to public hands. The government also modified the water law to protect local water systems and ensure public consultation on rates. Footnotes: *https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/reintroductions-key-species/keystone-species-and-trophic-cascades **Gerald Zaltzman, https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-subconscious-mind-of-the-consumer-and-how-to-reach-it **Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html#The-Five-Ecological-Systems Story: Bolivia's water war Tool: Systems triggers and consequences “Pull a thread here and you’ll find it’s attached to the rest of the world.” - Nadeem Aslam

SECTION 1: N AVIGATION CHAPTER 14 - VALUES ARE BEDROCK A stakeholder will want to act if we appeal to their values. This framework helps us identify the values of key relationships and individuals that maintain the system’s equilibrium. It also guides us in framing our messages to influence these relationships and stakeholders. Just as the moon, winds, and ocean currents shape the seas, the ocean floor (bedrock) also plays a crucial role by affecting the density and temperature of the water above it. Values are the bedrock or foundation of our worldview. They shape our behaviors, the communities we join, and even the people and media that set the rules for our world. Value priorities are our preferred values. They serve as standards, guiding us in deciding what is good or worthwhile. They can change slowly, or quickly if in a crisis where for example someone’s value priority of altruism might shift in order to put food on the table for their family. As campaigners and communicators, our target audience may not always prioritize the same values as us. As one strategic comms expert offered: “Remember: We are not the audience.” Our task is to appeal to certain value priorities in certain situations. We can frame messages to bring different values to the fore, helping to strengthen our audience’s ability to experience and use those values in their own decision-making. “You can't get people to change, except in the direction that they want to change.” - Milton Rokeach / Shalom Schwarz concept: ten basic personal values Grahic page 114 “Feed what you want to grow, not what you want to fight - Building narrative power demands building new vocabularies. This requires making people familiar with your ideas rather than using old, harmful frames and tropes to get your point across.” - Thomas Coombes Grahic page 115 story: tool: finding bedrock Which values are driving your mission and driving the key stakeholders or relationships you need to influence? Are you appealing to the bigger than self values of community or autonomy? How might you tap into your audiences’ own bigger than self values? Part 1: Draw the values chart on the left. Write on Post-Its and place on the chart: Your organization or campaign’s mission; The key relationship(s) that you need to influence; The deep loop elements that maintain the system; The communities that are most trusted by the key relationships; The messengers most trusted by the key relationships. Discuss where the Post-Its are clustered and where there are gaps. What does this tell you about the gaps in values that you need to cross in order for your targets to act? Part 2: Now, how might you frame your message to appeal to the community and autonomy values in your audiences? How could you get them to think bigger than themselves and take action? As a group, draft messages that could activate this value priority in your audience, in line with your campaign mission. Consider how these messages could work within your existing campaign branding or messaging, advocacy and communications Seek opportunities to test these messages using the techniques in Chapter 15: Decisions are Learned and Chapter 16: Emotion is Oxygen. We have created a guide to framing messages for different relationships and audiences based on their values, adapted from the work of Liz Manne and Harmony Labs, based on Shalom Schwarz. This guide starts by laying out four areas of value priorities: Autonomy (I) : Openness to change (values like hedonism, stimulation, self-direction). These values prioritize seeking new experiences. Community (Us) : Self-transcendence (values like universalism, benevolence). These values prioritize ethics, new ideas, and connecting actions to values. Authority (Me) : Self-enhancement (values like achievement, power). These values prioritize personal success and influence. Order (We): Conservation (values like security, conformity, tradition). These values prioritize stability and self-esteem. To galvanize action for social or environmental change, we must appeal to the bigger than self intrinsic values of community (self-transcendence) and autonomy (openness to change). If we try to appeal just to self-interest or social status values, we are being incoherent with our mission, less effective and not building the changes we want to see. When combined with other tools discussed in this Section, we have a comprehensive way to target and frame all our messaging. Read more: Liz Manne and Harmony Labs’ Narrative Observatory on audiences, with examples from the USA: https://narrativeobservatory.org/audiences Shalom Schwarz identified ten basic personal values identifiable across multiple cultures: conformity, tradition, security, power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism and benevolence. The Public Interest Research Centre (PIRC) created a values map to show where some of these values and their components are related. We recommend looking at the map to explore how close certain values are to each other. If a target audience prioritizes one value, it will be easiest to get them to prioritize another close to that value on the map. While helpful for considering groupings of values, we do not recommend it for targeted campaign planning purposes. Religion has proven to be a powerful lens, or worldview, through which people organize in Indonesia, particularly during elections like the 2019 Presidential Election. Indonesia is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing climate-related impacts and disasters annually, but there is not yet a unifying narrative around the drivers of and solutions to the climate crisis. With 1,340 ethnic groups and over 700 local languages, defining and identifying climate change the way that Western media and scientists do is challenging. It is liminal—existing between different beliefs and at the edges of understanding. While some local languages can describe climate phenomena as “pancaroba”, “pagebluk” or “paceklik,” there is no single term that encapsulates the scientific concept of climate change. In Indonesia, national climate audience research revealed that Indonesians place greater trust in local government figures and faith leaders over national government officials or NGOs. With 87% of the population being Sunni Muslim, Islam plays a significant role in shaping cultural and political dynamics. However, communicating the urgency of climate change in 2019 was challenging due to the diverse cultural and linguistic landscape, where Western scientific terminology wasn't easily understood or accepted. The MOSAIC (Muslims for Shared Actions on Climate Impact) campaign formed to mobilize Indonesians for climate action by aligning the message with their existing values and belief systems. The campaign needed to effectively engage the population by leveraging the values of Community (self-transcendence), prioritizing ethics, new ideas, and connecting actions to values. This approach emphasized the ethical responsibility of Muslims to protect the environment, connecting climate action with Islamic teachings on stewardship and benevolence. The campaign did this through: Ecosystem Mapping and Engagement: The campaign began with comprehensive ecosystem mapping to identify key players and understand their values, needs, and current actions. Significant Islamic organizations like Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) were identified as pivotal due to their influence and alignment with the values of community and benevolence. These organizations were engaged through dialogue and collaboration to promote environmental stewardship as a core Islamic value. Building Trust and Collaboration: Trust and collaboration were built through various convenings, including the organization of the "Kongres Umat Islam untuk Indonesia Lestari" (Muslims Congress for Sustainable Indonesia). Triggering the Community values priority: This congress emphasized the ethical responsibility of Muslims to care for the environment, framing climate action as a moral imperative rooted in Islamic values. The manifesto developed at the congress was endorsed by the vice president, a prominent Islamic leader, further reinforcing the message. Developing Initiatives: Following the congress, the campaign developed several initiatives aligned with the values of community and self-transcendence: Islamic Philanthropy for Climate Funding: "Sedekah Energy" and "Forest Waqf" to encourage community-based environmental action, linking charitable giving with sustainability efforts. Training and incubation projects: “Bengkel Hijrah Iklim” projects led by Islamic youth leaders to empower the next generation of environmental advocates. Knowledge Hub: A "Fiqht for Just Energy Transition" to legitimize and socialize climate action within the Islamic community, ensuring that actions are grounded in religious teachings. Social media platform: “Umat untuk Semesta” was a social media platform focused on the intersection of Islam and the environment, helping to spread the message of climate action as a communal and ethical responsibility. The campaign successfully: Engaged millions of Muslims across Indonesia by connecting climate action with Islamic values of benevolence and community. Gained recognition from media outlets like AP, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Got endorsed by the Indonesian Vice President and the Great Imam of Istiqlal, the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia. Laid the foundation for a sustainable, values-driven climate movement. Sources: *The values map and wheel are both from: Holmes T., Blackmore, E., Hawkins, R. and Wakeford, T. (2011), The Common Cause Handbook: Public Interest Research Centre https://publicinterest.org.uk/download/values/Common%20Cause%20Handbook.pdf religious values & climate change, indonesia Concept: ten basic personal values Story: religious values and climate change, indonesia Finding bedrock

SECTION 2: E QUILIBRIUM CHAPTER 6 - RELATIONSHIPS ARE POWER Find the relationships not individuals that control how the system works. When we try to change someone's mindset, opinion, or behavior we must consider the power or powerlessness that person feels in themselves and the power expressed in the relationships they hold. Like the Guiding Star and Near Star represent your long-term vision and short-term objective, Relationship Constellations show us where power lies in a system. There are four forms of power : Visible Power: For example, a President has power over its citizens. Invisible Power: Traditional and religious leaders exert power over citizens and members of government. Hidden Power: Banks or corporations can exert power over a government if it is in debt or seeking approval. Social norms exert power over people, for example in some cultures the norm of taking one’s shoes off on entering a house. Systemic Power: Overarching systems and structures that underlie and enforce visible, invisible and hidden power.* “Power is the capacity of individuals or groups to determine who gets what, who does what, who decides what, and who sets the agenda.” - Srilatha Batliwala, quoting and expanding on the definition of power by Aruna Rao and David Kelleher. story: “The rhythm of the work was set by the sound of the air hammers. As long as the hammers kept going, the inmates would work, so I shut the compressors off. The hammers stopped and everyone quit working”. - Yevgeny Griciak, prisoner, Camp No. 4. tool: relationship constellations Levels : Draw 5 concentric circles on your page and label them according to the 5 system levels, starting with "Why" in the center and working outwards. Elements : Write on a Post-It note every key element that keeps the system in place and stops a better system from growing, including both tangible (institutions, products, people) and intangible (values, norms) elements. Reuse sticky notes from Section 1 exercises if needed. Relationship constellations : Draw lines with arrows between elements that have important relationships. More than one element can be connected, and connections can span different system levels. Determine if this power is visible, invisible, or hidden. Label them as commensalist (C), mutualist (M), or parasitic (P). Consider : Identify the critical relationships or transactions maintaining the system's health. Are they commensalist, parasitic, or mutualist? Who is winning and losing, and what is the impact on them and others? Stars : Review the guiding and near star you established for the system. Are they correct? Use this chart to better understand and influence the relationships that control the system. Powerlessness is not always expressed and so it is harder to spot than power. There are four expressions of power: Power over: Institutions hold control over individuals. The weather has power over us. Power to: The ability of someone or something to do something. Power with: Mutual support and collaboration with others. Power within: The capacity to imagine and have hope. It is important to acknowledge that many people feel powerless within themselves to effect change, and a responsibility of many campaigners is to find ways to support people to build their own power and agency. Our relationships with people and the wider world define us and give us power but also identity. The Tanganekald people of South Australia had more than twenty pronouns that were ungendered but that expressed people’s relationship with each other.* There are three types of system relationships which express power: Commensalist: One benefits, and the other is unaffected. This is the power to do something. For example, the golden jackal follows a tiger to scavenge off its discarded kills; barbed seeds travel on human clothing; gut bacteria living in our digestive system. Mutualist: Both benefit. This is power with others. For example, clownfish and anemones help each other. Clownfish consume parasites and provide nutrients to anemones, which in turn shield the fish from predators. Social norms can cultivate politeness among people. Parasitic: One benefits, and the other is harmed. This is an expression of power over others. For example, fleas or tapeworms on a host. These types of relationships can exist among both tangible (people, institutions) and intangible (values, norms) parts of a system. These relationships can also enable (strengthen) or inhibit (weaken) others across the system. Normally, to plan a campaign we might single out individual targets by using a Power Map** or Forcefield Analysis to identify key players in a system. However, to shift a system more effectively, we recommend using a Constellation Chart to plot the power, relationships and relationship types across the system levels. Sources: *For a more detailed explanation of power, see the Just Associates Guide to Power https://justassociates.org/big-ideas/power1/ **https://aboriginallivinglanguages.sa.gov.au/lesson/lesson-twelve-pronouns-part-2/ ***Power mapping to design a winning campaign strategy: https://commonslibrary.org/power-mapping-to-design-a-winning-campaign-strategy/ ****Forcefield analysis https://www.mindtools.com/a23ewmr/force-field-analysis In 1953, prisoners in the Norillag labor camp in Norilsk, Russia, had been enduring extremely harsh conditions. This was a p arasitic relationship : the Russian state benefited from their hard labor. They worked 12-hour days in freezing temperatures by mining, making cement, and building roads and railway infrastructure. Many were political prisoners hoping for amnesty after Russian leader Joseph Stalin's death. However, the government only offered amnesty to criminal prisoners, leading to frustration and anger. The prisoners aimed to improve their living and working conditions and gain the attention of higher authorities in Moscow by finding a way to leverage the relationships that set the rules for their imprisonment; the relationship between the public, media and state, and the relationships through which information was communicated: 1. Organizing and Communicating across Camps: Mutualist relationships at the “What” level: Spreading the Word: After a guard killed two political prisoners, inmates in Camp No. 5 used a flag communication system to alert other camps. Starting the Strike: Yevgeny Griciak in Camp No. 4 initiated a strike by shutting down air compressors, halting work. 2. Gaining Support from the public outside - Commensalist relationships at the “Where” level: Demonstrating Unity: 5,000 prisoners refused to work, endured a three-day siege, and displayed a large sign saying “We Are Being Killed and Starved” to draw attention from the town’s people, who ultimately benefited from the work of the prisoners. Expanding the Strike: By 5 June, prisoners in six camps joined the strike, totaling 16,379 strikers. They organized committees, elected leaders, and united nationalities including Ukrainians, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians within the camps. 3. Reaching Power-Holders: Contacting rulemakers in Parasitic relationships via the “Where” and “Who” levels Using gender equality to provoke a reaction: Women prisoners dug graves outside in the ground and protested, knowing that guards would want to shoot them but could not. Reaching Out to Authorities: Prisoners demanded to negotiate with representatives from Moscow, inspired by similar tactics in other uprisings. Publicizing the Revolt: Prisoners used creative methods, like leaflets tied to kites, to inform the townspeople and authorities in Moscow about their situation. They set the cords of the kites on fire, so when these burnt out over the city, the messages fell down to the ground where they could be read. Griciak said that this action was partly responsible for getting the message out to Moscow. 4. Negotiating and Persisting: Shifting relationships from parasitic to mutualist (Moscow and the prison authority; and the prison and the prisoners) at the “Who” level Engaging with Moscow Representatives: A special commission from Moscow traveled to Norillag and met with prisoners on 6 June. Prisoners submitted their demands, including shorter workdays, the transfer of disabled prisoners and better communication with families. Continuing the Strike: Despite violent suppression and the banishment of some leaders among the rebels, the prison granted some concessions. Then prisoners resumed their strike when promises were not fully met. Despite initial resistance and violent suppression, the prisoners considered it a success due to the significant improvements and recognition they gained. Read more : https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/norillag-prisoners-strike-better-conditions-norilsk-uprising-1953 the beginning of the end of the gulag, russia Story: the beginning of the end of the gulag, russia Tool: relationship constellations

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SECTION 2: E QUILIBRIUM introduction Purpose : Learn how to set effective goals and how to shift relationships to shift a system. How to use this section : Read this before you analyze stakeholders or set an aim or objectives. We understand our current position and the system we are in. Now, where do we go from here? For thousands of years, humans have looked to the stars to understand their place in the world and navigate from one place to another. They give us meaning, understanding and equilibrium. Similarly, we use a star chart to map which relationships power the system and how to consider these in setting long-term and short-term goals. Systems do not die: A Guiding Star and Near Star act like an aim and objective for a system, serving as its compass. A system can afford to lose sight of its Near Star for a while, but when a system loses sight of its Guiding Star, it can lose its equilibrium and crash. Relationships are power: We know more stories about star constellations than individual stars because power and meaning lie in relationships, not individuals. In this Chapter, we learn how to identify and focus on the most influential relationships in a system through Relationship Constellations. Solidarity is a verb: It is said that history is written by the victors. Those who win are proactive, collaborative, and determined. Here, we learn how to apply our own force to ensure justice, particularly for those whose exclusions are compounded by multiple, overlapping, oppressions at once. Force begets resistance: It is easy to overlook the emergent people and groups within a system that could help us make change happen. Shooting stars can be destructive in space but are a sign of good luck in some cultures. Working with shooting stars by collaborating across movements and beyond can significantly help shift systems. Loops can be unlocked: The loops of stars and planets power the relationships among them. Among those loops is one deep loop that drives the whole system. Only by collaborating to alter this deep loop can we shift a system. section summary Key Takeaway Identify what keeps the system in balance, and how you can work with other resistance across the system to give it better health. Key Questions Why does the system stay balanced? What are its Guiding Star and North Star does the system have to be aligned with? What alternative stars could you establish for the system? Who are the key relationships that keep the system aligned with its Guiding Star and North Star? Where are others of different and intersecting identities impacted by the system? How could you work with others impacted and resisting the system already? What is the deep loop at the core of the system that keeps it functioning? How could you replace that deep loop with something that benefits people and planet? Key Tool(s) Relationship Constellations chart.

CHAPTERS for those who prefer a chronological approach to learning. SECTION 1: SYSTEM SECTION 2: EQUILIBRIUM INTRODUCTION INTRODUCING S.E.N.S.E. INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 5: Systems do not die CHAPTER 1: We live in systems CHAPTER 6: Relationships are power CHAPTER 2: The simplicity of complexity CHAPTER 3: Levels are levers CHAPTER 4: Autonomy is a myth CHAPTER 7: Solidarity is a verb CHAPTER 8: Force begets resistance CHAPTER 9: Loops can be unlocked SECTION 3: NAVIGATION SECTION 4: STORMS INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 10: Narrative is water CHAPTER 17: Storms are stories CHAPTER 11: Needs are motives CHAPTER 12: Communities are currents CHAPTER 13: The messenger is the message CHAPTER 14: Values are bedrock CHAPTER 18: Flexibility is perseverance CHAPTER 19: Foresight is 20:20 CHAPTER 20: Wrestling with trolls CHAPTER 21: Change is constant CHAPTER 15: Decisions are learned CHAPTER 16: Emotion is oxygen SECTION 5: ENERGY INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 22: Reflection is action CHAPTER 23: Truth is human-shaped CHAPTER 24: Seeds are fruit CHAPTER 25: Endings are beginnings CONCLUSION

SECTION 1: E NERGY CHAPTER 24 - SEEDS ARE FRUIT Jump forward and backward in time to ensure you’re acting for the long term. Many Indigenous communities across North America use “seven generations thinking” to make decisions. They think about how their actions today will affect the next seven generations of people. “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”― Iroquois Proverb “To use an agricultural metaphor, the current system [of movements attempting to build narrative power for justice] is focused on generating and cascading seeds of knowledge, but overlooking the soil where it is hoped that this will flourish.” - Global Narrative Hiv e “We can’t build what we can’t imagine, so it is imperative for us to create spaces that allow us to infinitely stretch our understanding of what’s possible.” - Walidah Imarisha tool: human layers (with thanks to the longtime project) Step 1: As a group, stand in a large circle 12 feet across, in a room or outside in a good amount of space. Close your eyes and feel your feet on the ground. Breathe deeply. Step 2: Think of someone you love or admire of your grandparents’ age. Focus on what it is in them that evokes warmth in you. It could be their smile, something that made them laugh, their hands, anything. Step 3: Take one step behind where you are and imagine being with that person 40 years in the past. How is that same quality that evoked warmth in you? Step 4: Take another step back and imagine being with that person another 30 years in the past, at their ninth birthday party. Where are you? Take a look out the window - what is it like? How are people behaving? Step 5: Now return to the spot you started in and imagine a small person (child, grandchild, niece) who you love or admire, and focus on what it is that evokes warmth in you. Step 6: Step forward one step and imagine being with that person 40 years in the future. Step 7: Step forward one step again and imagine you are at their 90th birthday party. The guests toast you. What are they choosing to toast you for? Step 8: Step back to the place you started in and take two deep breaths, opening your eyes again. You’ve just time traveled almost 200 years. Share with the group how you feel. What’s coming up for you? tool: changing spectacles (with thanks to the longtime project) Step 1: Go back to your fire chart from Chapter 20. Take 2 sets of Post-Its, each in a different color. Ask the group to write down on the different colors, and place on the chart both positive and negative examples of: Long-termism in the system Norms, relationships, narratives, processes and outputs that are driving short term results Step 2: As a group, discuss how the most critical changes to the system are connected to long-termism and short-termism , and to different stakeholders and efforts that you and others you’ve consulted, have identified. Could you focus your efforts on strengthening or weakening those efforts with the greatest long-term effects? Step 3: Return to your overall plan. What changes might you make to your Guiding Star, Near Star, or to your targeting in order to have these greater long-term effects? tool: future ripples (with thanks to the longtime project) Part 1: Go back to your fire chart. In your group, allocate to individuals in your group key stakeholder relationships (not individuals) in the system. These could be human or non-human, e.g. a river with connected ecosystems / a child and their mother in an affected community, the President and the World Bank. Part 2: Ask them to consider the implications of your updated plans in terms of: Time: What might their needs be in 5, 20, 50 years time? How might your campaign affect them? Assumptions: What assumptions about these stakeholders are we making in our plan? Why might these stakeholders question them? Practicalities: What constructs do the stakeholders need to know in order to do what we want them to do? How might this stakeholder themselves approach this differently? Part 3: What longtime changes in focus do you need to make to your plan to future proof it? Think of these areas: Guiding Star and Near Star Critical relationships and deep loop Target audiences, narrative and activities Prevention of and preparation for storms Focusing only on the short term is a big problem not just in capitalist systems but also in the efficacy of campaigning. For example, the campaign to end the slave trade took decades, and some forms of slavery still exist today. The Chinese government has a 100 year plan. But many organizations, coalitions, and leaders only plan for three or four years, and some make long-term plans without clear steps to achieve them. So, we come to the third question of reflection: “What now? ” Once we understand how the system is changing (Chapter 20), and who and what is contributing to that change (Chapter 21), how do we plan our next steps to reach our Guiding Star and Near Star (Section 2)? We need to consider both: Long-termism: Predicting and planning for the future based on rapid and sustained developments Long-timism: Cultivating an attitude of care for the world beyond our lifetimes** It is important to consider what will be needed in seven generations from now. How many people, how much money, and how much effort will it take to change the system over this period? How can we keep the energy and commitment in our community to continue pushing for change? How can we inspire future activists and campaigners to keep the pressure on? As with all the tools we propose, you will get better results by doing this in community with people you work with and for, and outside with the element of this chapter. There are three stages to this process: Immerse ourselves - Imagine the people we care about and how the world changes for them, in the past and future. See the forest for the trees - Consider the long-term and short-term impacts across the system. Draw out new paths - Put ourselves in the others’ shoes to find ways to a better world. Footnote: **We have borrowed the methods here from a Long Time Project practice created by Ella Saltmarshe and Hannah Smith. For more on long-time thinking see their toolkit here: https://www.thelongtimeproject.org/s/Long-Time-Project_Long-Time-Tools.pdf Tool: human layers (longtime project) Tool: changing spectacles (the longtime project) Tool: future ripples

CONCLUSION where to from here? The humans of the last 100 years have: Created beautiful art, music, and culture. Reached the moon and new breakthroughs in science Had a more destructive impact on the rest of the planet than any other living beings in history - surpassed in driving species extinction by only such cataclysmic events on the scale of the meteor that led to the extinction of dinosaurs Until humans realize that we are all interconnected parts of nature, that we need to respect the relationships that bind us, and that how we communicate is what can truly shift change, our children's children will not live in the safe, vibrant, alive place that generations of our forebears have taken for granted. Common sense is that this is man vs nature. Uncommon sense is that we are nature. We need a new common sense. There are seeds growing: Agroecological economies like West Papua Indigenous-fronted global movements The perception of the Amazon rainforest as a treasure more than a commodity; Increasing interest in post-growth new economic models, Indigenous and complexity thinking Campaigners prioritizing movement strength and social justice alongside regular goals Countries granting citizenship and rights to rivers Charitable foundations handing out their money to civil society with no strings attached Societies of colonizers beginning to engage with their bloody legacies But it is not enough. The iterative approach of most corporate Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) efforts are iterative and unlikely to sufficiently catalyze system change. Political polarization, disinformation, deep-fakes and social media echo chambers are more dominant and widespread than ever, increasing the spread of conspiracy theories. We need a leap not a step forward. Governments and economies that value reciprocity more than growth, that grant and enforce collective rights for land and natural resources alongside people and intersectional environmental justice. And an understanding that together, every one of us has the power to make governments and companies take responsibility, make the short term changes to safeguard the planet we love and that are a part of. Every one of us can fight for change. Let’s start a revolution with uncommon sense. We hope this book helps you take that leap forward in whatever work that you do. We invite you to borrow what you like, ignore what you don’t, and share your views on what could be added or improved. We want to spark conversations in different languages and cultures about how we can contribute to making the world just a little bit better. Let’s make a more collective, sustainable future inevitable. “Action is the antidote to despair.” - Joan Baez “And what seemed almost impossible looking forward seems almost inevitable looking back.” ― Frances R. Westley, Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” - Dolores Huerta

SECTION 1: E NERGY CHAPTER 22 - REFLECTION IS ACTION Review changes across the rest of the system before focusing on your own area. We make sense of the changing world through stories. Aboriginal peoples speak of “yarning,” the act of coming together with others to talk and allow ideas to surface and evolve. Paulo Freire talked about praxis, or action-reflection: the need for people to engage in a constant cycle of action and reflection in order to understand and change their social reality.* We propose that we recognise reflection as a form of action. We need to make that act of respectful reflection with others a part of our everyday lives. “Leaders who… insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people - they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they liberated: they oppress.” - Paulo Freire “The past is not a fixed entity, but a constantly shifting story we tell ourselves.” - Adam Curtis story: tool: campfire dashboard The first question of reflection is “What?” In other words, what do we evaluate? Common reflection methods include monitoring, evaluation, or impact assessment to see if goals were met. It is important to measure what matters, not just what's easy. An uncommon sense approach begins by looking at if and how the system changed, in terms of shifts in power, changes in narrative, and changes to its Near Star, Guiding Star and deep loop. This helps us see changes we might not have noticed and informs our plans. Throughout this book, we have proposed indicators to help you monitor your campaign as it unfolds: The boundaries of the System and its contents The relationships and deep loop giving the System its Equilibrium The target stakeholders and our Navigation to reach and activate them The Storms we may encounter These are tangible elements of the system that you can measure. In this chapter we share with you a campfire dashboard tool for group work to understand changes in the system. Keep this process simple and easy to revisit. When you review these indicators we recommend you summarize and consider the findings using four principles of emergent learning***: Raw data (research, numbers) and filtered data (opinions, stories and experiences) Insights - making sense of that data Hypotheses - what we believe may help us based on the above Opportunities - Events, meetings or times coming up that provide an opportunity to test our thinking Each principle helps us to separate out data from insights, insights from hypotheses, and identify opportunities for improvement. Footnote Sources: *Pedagogy of the Oppressed ***Adapted from Four Quadrant Partners work on Emergent Learning Tables, http://www.pointk.org/resources/files/Introduction_to_Emergent_Learning_Tables.pdf Breakthrough, an India and US-based human rights organization, launched the Bell Bajao (Ring the Bell) campaign to call on men and boys across India to take a stand against domestic violence by performing a simple bystander intervention – ringing the doorbell when they witnessed domestic violence taking place. The campaign had the following objectives: Make the issue part of mainstream conversation Increase knowledge about and change community attitudes towards domestic violence and towards HIV-positive women Alter individual behavior Reflection on past campaigns to shape the Bell Bajao campaign: In previous campaigns, men were featured mainly as perpetrators of violence. Bell Bajao sought to activate solution-focused values and priorities by highlighting mens’ roles as thought leaders, partners and an integral part of the solution to reduce violence Previous campaign evaluations found that Breakthrough’s nuanced messaging (combining HIV/AIDS and Violence Against Women) was too complex to be absorbed by mass audiences. This time, the organization used a broad and easily understood message about domestic violence, making other nuances secondary Breakthrough did further research including through a baseline survey of public attitudes towards domestic violence. This found that: people rarely took action when they noticed domestic violence occurring; that both men and women equally were likely to take action ; while men tended to take the lead in intervening if they did take action. This helped refine the campaign messaging even more, resulting finally in the simple, direct message ‘Bring domestic violence to a halt. Ring the Bell’, with men and boys being the key audience Monitoring and Evaluation of the Bell Bajao campaign Breakthrough did further reflection and identified: 1.Changes at system levels: After two years, the campaign was not able to assess behavior changes and the impact on women (What level) but did gather information on changes in knowledge and attitudes shared. How level (community infrastructure, delays and loops): Many interviewees were surprised that a person could interrupt domestic violence “giving any trivial reason” Where level (information flows): The campaign reached out through both media and education networks in one district, and just through media in another: In the first district awareness of the Domestic Violence Act rose from an average of 3% to 21% In the second district, awareness of the Domestic Violence Act rose from an average of 3% to 8% Who level (the rules and who shapes them): It was unclear if significant changes took place in the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of among community leaders and opinion shapers specifically as there was no in-depth study of their opinions Why level (the mindset): Emergent data from the opinions given by respondents: Changed attitudes: A marked decrease (9%) in respondents who felt that women should remain silent when experiencing domestic violence. An increase (90%) in respondents who felt that women should take legal action. A decrease in respondents suggesting that women just live with it or commit suicide. Interviewees commonly shared that “one should make efforts to stop domestic violence”. Changed knowledge and attitudes: Interviewees most commonly shared what they learned from the television ads was that “one can stop domestic violence without saying anything to the aggressor.” Before the campaign, research found narrow understanding of domestic violence, primarily associating it with dowry-related harassment, while other forms like emotional, economic, and sexual abuse were less recognized. After the campaign, research found that a significantly higher proportion of respondents reported understanding that emotional abuse, threats, economic deprivation and sexual abuse are also forms of domestic violence. After the campaign, a significantly lower proportion of respondents identified domestic violence as dowry-related harassment. 2. Changes in Relationships and Deep Loops Giving the System Its Equilibrium Pre-campaign research suggested that: Social norms perpetuated a harmful loop of silence and inaction towards domestic violence. A significant proportion of the population believed that domestic violence was a private matter, leading to widespread non-intervention. Post-campaign evaluation found: A positive change in opinions: in the district reached by media and education networks, respondents said they were more likely to report domestic violence (47%), especially amongst female respondents (69%). 3. Changes in Target Stakeholders and Navigation to reach and activate them Time : The evaluation found that at least two to three years of sustained effort is needed for community mobilization. It is possible to build knowledge and skills more quickly, but behavior and attitudinal change requires time. Navigation : The campaign needed to keep innovating to maintain excitement - such as through video vans, which were popular with youth. This added to the existing output through media, schools, television, radio and print ads. The campaign learned to do outreach via schools rather than just media, to have the most sustained impact on shifted knowledge and attitudes. 4. Changes during and following challenges and opportunities Raw Data: Challenges included financial constraints during the 2009 economic downturn, language diversity across India requiring translations, and community skepticism towards Breakthrough as an external organization. Insights : These challenges provided insights into the need for adaptable, resource-efficient strategies. For example, the difficulty in securing free airtime led to a greater emphasis on grassroots mobilization and digital engagement. Hypotheses : The campaign hypothesized that despite financial and logistical challenges, sustained community engagement, coupled with strategic media placement, could still drive significant change. Opportunities : These challenges also created opportunities for innovation like a greater focus on digital platforms to reach a wider audience during the economic downturn. Breakthrough adapted by intensifying efforts in community-driven events, video van tours, and integrating messages into popular culture, ensuring continuous engagement despite limited resources. Read more: https://www.endvawnow.org/uploads/browser/files/bell_bajao_case_study_english.pdf bell bajao campaign, india 2008-2011 Story: Bell bajao campaign, india, 2008-2011 Tool: Campfire dashboard Part 1 Step 1 : Recreate your system chart and deep loop from Sections 1 or 2 as a five-layered campfire shape, and add via Post-Its the key relationships at each level. Step 2: Write any shifts in the system onto Post-Its and stick them on the left side of the diagram. Step 3: Draw thick lines between Post-Its that have contributed significantly to each other in a positive or negative way. Step 4: Review the chart. What does this tell you about how your campaign is doing? Step 5: What are the strongest deep loops? Are they stabilizing / stagnating / vicious / virtuous? What does this tell you about where you need to focus your efforts? What are any unintended consequences for other parts of the system, e.g. civil society or the dominant narrative? Go deeper : You could use red, orange and green post-its to give a traffic-light ranking to the significance of each change. The chart should then give a color-coded sense of how the system change is progressing. For example: Add a positive system boundary shift (e.g. your team is being consulted by your government) to a yellow Post-It and the System section Add a powerful relationship that has been destabilized, to a green Post-It, and stick in the Equilibrium section Add a Storm that set you back to a pink Post-It in the Storms section Part 2 Summarize your findings under four headings: Raw data (research, numbers) and filtered data (opinions, stories and experiences) Insights - opinions of that data Hypotheses - what we believe may help us based on the above Opportunities - Events, meetings or times coming up that provide an opportunity to test our thinking What are the most significant changes to the system and at which levels? What can you celebrate? What can you improve on?

SECTION 3: N AVIGATION introduction Purpose : Learn how to navigate narratives, reach and activate people within the system. Guide : Read this before you choose a strategy. Polynesians crossed the ocean by using the relative positions of sun, moon, stars and waves, rather than just using strength or willpower. Similarly, to change a system we need to understand how to reach and activate people, rather than relying on fixed tactics. For that reason, plan your communications approach before deciding on tactics. This Section uses a water chart to help us plan how to influence others. The Chapters are: Narrative is water: To activate stakeholders, understand the narrative flows in the system, where counter-narratives exist, and how to use them. Needs are motives: Every creature on the water has a reason for its direction. Identify the needs and motivations of each stakeholder to plan how you will shift the system. Networks are currents: Communities and groups are currents that help people connect and belong. A strong network moving in a new direction will carry its members further. Values are bedrock: Our values define our worldview and rarely change unless we experience a life-altering event or as our life stage changes. To activate someone, frame your message to resonate with their values. The messenger is the message: Swells are recurring currents in the ocean. In a system, swells are the media or people we listen to most. A swell that consistently communicates a message aligned with someone's values is most likely to be heard. Decisions are learned: People develop mental shortcuts and biases that help them make decisions. Frame your message to trigger specific shortcuts and biases. Emotion is oxygen: Human emotion is essential for decision-making. Every counter-narrative needs a powerful idea or metaphor to activate others. section summary Key Takeaway Profile the narrative context, key audiences and how to reach and activate them before you develop your tactics. Key Questions What are the dominant narrative and signs of counter-narrative flowing through the system? Which elements of that counter-narrative can you cultivate? What are the needs and motives of the relationships you need to influence, and of the people you need to activate? Which are the strongest communities or networks that your targets are a part of? Who are the most influential members of that community that need to adopt behaviors to influence your target? Who are the messengers that your target relies upon for information? How can you pitch to these messengers? What is the set of values that you need to frame your message to convince each target? Which mental shortcuts and biases will you trigger to convince each stakeholder to act? How will you use emotion throughout your communications to get your audience at each stage to act? Key Tool(s) Ocean chart to understand narratives

SECTION 1: S TORMS CHAPTER 19 - FORESIGHT IS 20:20 You’re not prepared until you have practiced how you will respond. Trust can take years to build but minutes to destroy. Some crises hit suddenly, while others, like funding cuts or anti-immigration narratives, creep in slowly. “Plan for unpredictability. We should start from what needs to change and the barriers to change, and situate our efforts within that orbit, rather than imagining everything flows from what we do. From that we can identify a way forward. And then iterate constantly.” - Jim Coe and Rhonda Schlangen, No Royal Road story: concept: warning signs concept: building resilience concept: building resilience “The most common path to success is not raw innovation, but skillfully riding a wave of change.” - Richard Rumelt, Good Strategy Bad Strategy tool: early warning systems Agree responsibilities: Review your Storm chart. Add monitoring responsibilities on Post-Its to the outer ring as shown here with names for your team who will be responsible - we suggest rotating this. 1. Set baselines: Set up a thermometer to rank the threat levels. Ask yourself the following questions to help you. 2. Developmental storms: How often do you want to see your organization mentioned and in which media? Do you want to see a positive article every month, or is that not important? How will you stay in touch with staff opinions on your work, ensuring that staff feel their views are valued? How will you celebrate actions taken? What would you like to know from key audiences? Could you carry out an annual survey? Are there quick ways to check in on these views? 3. Situational storms and Existential storms: When will a threat or opportunity become serious for you? Who could you work with to handle it? How might you need to pivot? tool: simulation & prevention Gather a group of at least 6 people in 1-2 rooms (with laptops) if you can. Include trustees or volunteers if you need to - it is important you have a big enough group. Pick a crisis or opportunity from those most likely to happen to you, for example a widespread mainstream media and social media attack on your organization, or a million dollar donation from a celebrity. Write it out in 2-3 sentences. Make sure it has serious implications for the communities, your organization, and the communities you work with. In a group, allocate roles as follows: One person to coordinate the session and timekeeping One person to represent an aggressor or duty bearer (e.g. extractive company CEO) One person to represent an enforcer (e.g. government decision-maker) One person to represent two or more journalists One person to represent members of the public, trolls, and rights holders One person to represent your organization or campaign In real time, the coordinator will: Start the clock Announce when there is a new event or headline that people have to respond to Tell individuals playing roles that they need to act or respond It is for each of those people to decide what to do and how to respond. Next take a 20 minute break and debrief on what you learned from the exercise. What surprised you? What scenarios do you need to prepare for and how? In natural ecosystems, dolphins detect changes in water salinity and birds sense air pressure to know when a storm is coming. We need a similar system to monitor the early signs that a crisis or opportunity is coming, and we also need to rehearse what we will do when the storm comes. We recommend: Using the storm chart section on What to monitor to look for warning signs Creating a thermometer to rank the severity of crises and opportunities, and identify when to monitor / prepare / respond / pivot. Likewise, the foundations of a strong campaign or organization lie not just in planning but building a supportive culture . This strengthens our resilience as well as our ability to use the four strategies for storms and our ability to pivot quickly. Some organizations advocate for resilience organizing as opposed to campaign organizing - prioritizing resilience, culture and movement strength are equally as much as the external change you seek.* We recommend you look at your campaign or organization as a system, look for warning signs of storms, and build resilience as follows: Generations of community knowledge and practice have helped people survive and adapt to natural disasters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inga community in Colombia used their strong community networks to organize harvest distribution based on families' locations, helping them cope with movement restrictions.** Campaigners should always be prepared for crises or opportunities. Good crisis management is 90% preparation. By practicing key scenarios, campaigners can build resilience and adaptability. Organizations often plan for crises by writing down a full risk register but rarely do so for opportunities. Some evaluators suggest a "pre-mortem"—imagining the campaign failed a week after launch and asking what went wrong. We propose going one step further. After understanding the system (Section 1), creating a storm chart (Chapter 15) and understanding good internal and external stakeholder responses (Section 3) - run a “role play” exercise in real time for every key threat and opportunity. Discuss which of the four strategies from Chapter 18 you may need. We recommend the following principles inspired by resilience practices in your rehearsal: Practice collectivism : Share resources and learn from others affected. Stay connected : Set up alternative communication methods if usual ones fail. Hybrid networks that combine instant messaging together with physical leafleting can reach further. Protect critical connections: Support older people, women, and others to keep communities together. Find goodness and tap into traditio n: Make time for positive activities like games or music. Take the long view: Do things today that will help in the long term. Read more: More steps you can take: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/20/authoritarianism-trump-resistance-defeat Steps you can take include: building and funding a support network of allies - see Solidarity Uganda’s rapid response system here: https://mobilisationlab.org/resources/creating-a-rapid-response-system/ How disinformation works effectively and how newsrooms can copy that: https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/11/whats-disinformation-doing-right-and-what-can-newsrooms-learn-from-it/ Sources: *Read more on resilience-based organizing from the US-based Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project here: https://commonslibrary.org/propagate-pollinate-practice-curriculum-tools-for-a-just-transition/ **https://www.ifad.org/ar/web/latest/-/story/indigenous-knowledge-and-resilience-in-a-covid-19-wor-1 The mass production of palm oil in Indonesia has raised major concerns across local communities and the human rights and environmental movements due to large-scale land conversion and loss of forests. Environmentalists have also become concerned by traceability and social aspects like labor rights in palm oil supply chains. Every year during political moments and the forest fire season (the peak is usually July to September), palm oil becomes a high profile media issue. The palm oil industry has been very successful in using Public Relations (PR) to create a developmental storm (see the Storm Chart earlier in this Chapter and Section) at this time to influence Indonesian public debate to support their work. Indonesian civil society articulated a need to build collectivism and resilience to better influence and then shape the public debate about palm oil. Civil Society communicators identified the organized and consistent PR strategies used by the palm oil industry: Warning signs: Where: Business and economics media and social media featured many palm oil articles and stories. Who : Government officials and academics were key spokespersons. Who : The main narrative was usually shaped by those in power and tied to economic development , positioning palm oil as a commodity that reduces poverty and provides jobs for people and smallholder farmers. Why : The deep narrative was nationalism in the face of foreign interference Highlighting how the palm oil industry has been the pride of Indonesia, Framing a “false choice” that NGOs or foreign countries) who “criticize” the industry are foreigners trying to harm the palm oil business / trying to ‘dictate’ what Indonesia should do. Civil society developed campaigns together in advance of the peak forest fire season that could prevent some of the palm oil industry’s rhetoric dominating media: Resilience strategies to help organizations simulate scenarios to charge, sidestep and adapt: How and What: Showcase stories of local communities to add more perspective of what happens in practice, to counter the current narrative that highlights the economic aspect and benefits for smallholder farmers. Who: Partner up with academics to have credible and curated data in hand, to debunk and question the claim made by the companies Why: Develop counter-narrative that also use the economic and nationalism angles, and engage with the business community to find a way for them to tell stories linked to this counter narrative. Knowing the momentum and tactics of the palm oil industry have been key to preparation that will make their storms easier to handle. This helps Indonesian civil society to build resilience and monitor for when the storm hits. identifying palm oil company strategies, indonesia Concept: warning signs Concept: Building resilience Story: identifying palm oil company strategies, indonesia Tool: early warning signs Tool: Simulation and prevention

Contributors Uncommon Sense was made possible because of the over 120 climate communications specialists from over 20 countries offering their wisdom and experience. The following are the writers and editors who turned that into the lessons and sharable knowledge in Uncommon Sense. HUGH MOUSER A systems coach, campaign strategist and strategic communications leader, Hugh believes in the power of people, movements and organizations to think creatively and transform the world. Hugh has spent 20 years leading teams and building multi-country social and environmental justice organizing programs for NGOs from Greenpeace to Oxfam. An ICF-accredited coach, Hugh has helped leaders from across the corporate and non-profit sectors to achieve their goals from starting new businesses to winning campaigns. Hugh led the campaign that made age discrimination illegal in the UK, managed Greenpeace and Oxfam digital strategies that mobilized millions and secured climate commitments from Procter & Gamble and Kellogg, introduced Global Witness’s first successful planning toolset, and co-created a record-breaking anti-racist ActionAid crowdfunder with activists in Ghana. Hugh is passionate about biomimicry, complexity thinking and indigenous methods of inquiry. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is a committed intersectional feminist who believes in building sustainable and transformative movements. MATT DAGGETT Founding Director of the Strategic Communications Initiative for the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA). An accomplished philanthropic and non-profit leader with an expertise on environmental issues, strategic communications, global campaigns, and organizational governance. Mr. Daggett brings extensive experience managing teams and working with partners in Latin America, SE Asia, Europe, the US and Central & East Africa with a focus on catalyzing change towards more just, sustainable food, forest, and land use systems. Prior to joining CLUA, Matt was the Global Campaign Leader for Forests at Greenpeace International. In this role, he guided global teams advocating for forest conservation and Indigenous Rights protection in the Amazon, Congo Basin, Indonesia, and Northern Boreal forests. Previously, Matt served as the Strategy Director for Greenpeace USA, an Associate Partner at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, and a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in London. Matt earned an MBA at Oxford University in the UK and a BA in Government from Harvard University in the USA. DR. AMIERA SAWAS A feminist researcher and advocate who works at the intersections of climate change, gender justice, public participation and the social contract. Amiera has almost 20 years experience working on these issues across academia, the private sector, think tanks and NGOs, with her most previous roles at Climate Outreach, ActionAid and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College. Amiera has a PhD on water and human rights in Pakistan and is a contributing author to the IPCC sixth assessment report on gender and climate security. As a person of both Syrian and Irish heritage, with close links to Pakistan, she has lived life with an acute awareness of the impacts of colonial histories and believes passionately in the need to decolonise. RATHANA CHEA Listed in 2024's Most Impactful Asian-Australians, the Winner of the Asia Pacific CEO of the Year Award, University Vice Chancellor's Human Rights Award, Centre for Independent Journalism Award and Advisor to the Groundswell Giving Major Donors Circle, Rathana is the Founding CEO of the Multicultural Leadership Initiative. Rathana has spent over 20 years working internationally strengthening people, building organisations and delivering impactful strategies. He has worked in the areas of environmental sustainability, climate change, human rights and technology. He has served on senior management and executive teams in Europe, Australia, Asia and globally for Greenpeace, Amnesty International, the Sunrise Project and other leading change agents. He has also served on countless boards, including as Vice Chair of ECC, a peak body for multicultural communities, as well as serving on the board of leading advocacy and campaign training institutes such as, New York based Mobilisation Lab and regionally-focused AktivAsia. Rathana has co-founded and successfully scaled up numerous social enterprise, not-for-profit and charity startups into fully-fledged impact-focused organisations across Asia and Australia. Rathana holds several qualifications across multiple disciplines from Oxford University, UNSW, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Technology Sydney. DIYA DEB Executive Director of Mindworks Lab, a global cognitive science innovation lab . Incubated in Greenpeace, Mindworks pioneers new approaches to creating change built on understanding of how the human mind works. Diya grew up in India and has spent close to two decades working both in the grassroot and international NGO spaces in leadership roles . She has headed up campaigns in Amnesty International India and was the Campaign Director in Greenpeace India, worked with the Indian nobel peace laureate Satyarthi to mobilise millions of youth globally, worked in the field of child rights, human rights and climate for all these years to lead strategy, engage and mobilise people. She also has acted in advisory capacities to several non profits and has co-founded her own initiative PowerSouth focussed on women leadership in grassroots. Her experience of working in harsh political and social realities in India has strengthened her resilience in crisis and made her an advocate to decolonise knowledge and drive systemic change in the global south. BEC SANDERS Director of Research at the FrameWorks Institute. Before joining the FrameWorks team in 2022, Bec worked for ten years in framing research, mostly in the UK and Europe. She was Research Lead at the Public Interest Research Centre and then a consultant supporting non-profits, charities and grassroots campaigners with evidence-based reframing strategies. She has led mixed-methods research on framing climate justice, anti-racism, and LGBTQIA+ equality. One of her areas of expertise is in values, and applying the Schwartz values model to communications. Working with the Common Cause Foundation she investigated the connection between perceptions of other people’s values and civic engagement, publishing on this in Frontiers in Psychology, and she was a contributing author to the Springer book Values and Behavior: Taking a Cross Cultural Perspective. Her work has also been featured in The Guardian, Vice and The Psychologist magazine. She holds an MA in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh. ENGGAR PARAMITA Communications professional with 15+ years of combined experience in multi-national advertising agencies and non-profit organisations. Her role is focused on advancing the use of strategic communications to help organisations achieve their objectives and have their voices heard. She has worked on development projects on various topics, such as sexual reproductive health, agroforestry, and climate adaptation. In her current work with the Strategic Communications Initiative in Indonesia (Development Dialogue Asia/DDA), she combines strategic grant-making, insights and research development, and partner collaboration to strengthen the pro-climate narrative building in Indonesia. In 2020 - 2023, she led the first-of-its-kind, nationally representative research on public beliefs and behaviour on climate change and collective action. The research project is a collaborative work with Communication for Change, Kantar Indonesia, and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Enggar holds a Master of Communication from the University of Queensland, Australia and a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Indonesia. JUDE LEE Leading the Climate Diversity Foundation, a long time womens' rights and environmental campaigner for over 20 years, Jude and is a leader in climate advocacy. She has a strong focus on promoting climate action, diversity, and JEDI(Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). Jude served as the Deputy Executive Director at Greenpeace East Asia, where they manage one of the organisation's largest offices and oversee an annual budget of approximately $45 million USD. Jude's work is characterised by a commitment to inclusive and equitable solutions for the most pressing environmental issues. As the lead for the Climate Diversity Foundation is the Director of Asia Partnerships for the Multicultural Leadership Initiative. DR. LORI REGATTIERI Has directed global and regional portfolios in the philanthropic sector, successfully managing projects across multiple disciplines and regions. As the former Senior Fellow for Trustworthy AI at the Mozilla Foundation (2022-2023), they played a pivotal role in advancing ethical AI practices. In recognition of their impactful work, Lori received the Media Ecology Association's 2024 Jacques Ellul Award for Outstanding Media Ecology Activism. With over 15 years of experience, Lori has worked at the intersection of digital transformation, strategic communications, and policy strategies to promote just and sustainable technologies. Their expertise includes working with progressive political movements, climate justice, indigenous peoples, afro-descendants and local communities (IPADLC) rights, LGBTQIAPAN+, and queer issues, particularly in the Global Majority world. Lori collaborates with a range of stakeholders, including governments, inter-governmental agencies, foundations, companies, NGOs, CSOs, academia, and grassroots organizations. They earned a PhD in Communication and Culture from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Their research has focused on cybernetics, information theory, digital methods, decolonial equity, and social justice, as well as internet laws and policy issues. More info is available at eco-midia.com. DR. MERLYNA LIM Canada Research Chair in Digital Media and Global Network Society and a Professor of Communication and Media Studies at the School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University. Lim's research and publications explore the interplay between digital technologies and society, focusing on power dynamics, justice, citizen engagement, and democratic processes. As the founder and director of the ALiGN Media Lab, Lim grounds her research empirically in Southeast Asia and the MENA region, advocates for recognizing the Global South as a crucial research hub, and emphasizes addressing its issues on its own terms. Her notable publications include Social Media and Politics in Southeast Asia (Cambridge University Press, 2024), Roots, Routes, Routers: Communication and Media of Contemporary Social Movements (Sage, 2018), and Online Collective Action: Dynamics of the Crowds in Social Media (Springer, 2014). In 2016, Lim was elected to the Royal Society of Canada's New College of Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Throughout her career, she has delivered over 200 invited talks and received more than 150 media mentions. Before joining Carleton University, Lim held positions at Princeton University, Arizona State University, and the University of Southern California. For more, see: merlyna.org. NANA DARKOA SEKYIAMAH Cited as BBC's 100 inspirational and influential women in the world, Nana is the author of The Sex Lives of African Women, which Publishers Weekly described as “an astonishing report on the quest for sexual liberation” in their starred review. It was also listed by The Economist as the best book of the year. She is also co-founder of Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women, a website, podcast and festival that publishes and creates content that tells stories of African women’s experiences around sex, sexualities, and pleasure. In 2022. In 2023, New Africa magazine listed her as one of 100 inspirational Africans. NATALIA VIDALON A senior strategic communications professional with more than 10+ years working in sustainable development, conservation, and indigenous rights. She has extensive experience in project design and management, qualitative research, and communication strategies for the private and public sector and environmental projects and organizations. Natalia has worked for the Ministry of Environment in Peru and civil society organizations, where she has led communications and fundraising strategies focused on fighting illegal activities, environmental defenders, advocacy in favor of Indigenous territorial rights, and establishing key protected areas, focusing on the Peruvian Amazon. She specializes in communication diagnosis, stakeholder and media engagement, and strengthening local communications initiatives. She is a Social Communicator from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, where she has also taught in the Communications Master Program. She has a master’s degree in International Development from the University of Manchester, UK. Currently, she works as Strategic Communications Manager in Peru for Diálogo Colombia & Perú. DR. NICOLÁS LLANO A communication and media researcher, educator and practitioner. Currently, he is the Insights & Research Manager at Food Nature Climate Dialogue, the global strategic communication initiative of the Climate and Land Use Alliance. He holds a PhD in Communication Studies from São Paulo University and is a lecturer at Fundação Getúlio Vargas' School of Communication, Media and Information. RENATA SENLLE A journalist with 20 years of experience in various areas of communication. Since 2020, she has been Communications Manager for strategic relationships with digital influencers focusing on socio-environmental issues at Diálogo Brasil. She has a master's degree in Communication Sciences from ECA/USP and a doctorate in Feminist Studies from the University of Coimbra. RIKA NOVAYANTI Co-founder and Steering Committee member of MOSAIC (Muslims for Shared Action on Climate Impact). Her leadership led to the launch of a manifesto supported by the Vice President of Indonesia. Through this manifesto, MOSAIC developed initiatives to leverage Islamic philanthropy for climate funds and utilize Islamic infrastructure for climate solutions. MOSAIC also earned a Silver Medal in the Partnership and Collaboration category at the Anthem Awards. Her expertise is in strategic communications on climate and environmental issues. Currently she is consulting for the World Bank’s Environmental, Natural Resources and Blue Economy (ENB) team. She is also a Senior Advisor for Purpose Climate Lab, and serves as a Board Member for Solar Chapter, a nonprofit focusing on improving access to clean water through renewable energy and water monitoring systems. Rika has significant experience in structuring and implementing system convening and fostering collaboration among unlikely partners. Rika frequently writes or speaks on climate and environmental issues, particularly around environmental behavior and strategic communications. She is also an awardee of the USAID Program to Extend Scholarships to Achieve Sustainable Impacts (PRESTASI) and Australian Awards Scholarship (AAS). DR. THELMA RAMAN Director of Research and Education at the Multicultural Leadership Initiative, Thelma has over 30 years in education and training across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. She has held several academic and managerial roles across various institutions and organisations. Thelma has extensive experience in developing and presenting education and training programs for diverse audiences in a range of areas including climate change, sustainability and business. Thelma’s fervent belief in the power that education has to inspire change led her to complete a PhD in Education for Sustainable Development in 2017. Since then, she has been actively working to engage individuals, organisations, and communities to take action towards creating a safer and more sustainable world. Thelma holds qualifications across multiple disciplines including education, business, history, politics and geography from RMIT University, University of New South Wales, Deakin University, University of Auckland and the University of the South Pacific. She is also a Fellow with the Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom. ANGELINA LIZAR A digital and cross-cultural communications expert having led multiple online campaigns, marketing, advocacy, fundraising and branding projects. Following her cultural ties to Indonesia, she has volunteered for Asia Justice and Rights as well as The Orangutan Project, both of which work extensively in Indonesia and other countries across Asia to alleviate injustice through social programs, community aid, education, and advocacy. Angelina currently coaches a suite of NGO/NFP leaders across the world on digital media impact on mindsets and behaviours of culturally diverse audiences. With an academic background specialisation in political science, climate solutions, social science and communications from the University of Technology, Sydney and the University of Cambridge UK, Angelina is a leader in applying both the theory and practice of change making through communications. Angelina is the Communications Director for the Multicultural Leadership Initiative. VON HERNANDEZ Leading Filipino environmental activist based in Manila, Philippines, who has been campaigning on climate and pollution issues for nearly 30 years. He is the Global Coordinator of Break Free from Plastic, a global movement of about 3,500 organizations representing millions of supporters, working. together to end the plastic pollution crisis. Previously, Von was Global Development Director of Greenpeace International where he oversaw the development and performance of Greenpeace’s national and regional offices worldwide. He also served as the Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia (GPSEA), where he led some of the group’s most successful campaigns and programs in Southeast Asia. He co-founded and spearheaded various environmental coalitions and partnerships at the national, regional, and global levels including the Ecowaste Coalition in the Philippines and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). In 2003, he was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work, which led to the first national ban on waste incineration. Von was also recognized by Time magazine as one of the Heroes for the Environment in 2007. He graduated from the University of the Philippines (BA English), and holds a Masters degree in Public Management from the National University of Singapore. YEMI AGBENIYI A climate leader with a background in health policy and pharmaceuticals, Yemi is a experienced business operations and management leader. She currently serves as the Director of Global Operations for the Multicultural Leadership Initiative, where she plays a crucial role in shaping organisational strategy. Her work has allowed her to explore and champion sustainability and climate initiatives across Africa, striving to make the continent a safer and more sustainable place for its people. Yemi holds a degree in Pharmacy from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, along with additional certifications from the University of Cape Town and the University of Cambridge. WESA CHAU Managing Director of the Multicultural Leadership Initiative, Wesa has worked for over 20 years in the multiculturalism and cultural diversity advocacy space and is recognised as thought leader on multicultural policy. Acknowledged through numerous awards including 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards, the Victorian Women's Honour Roll, 2010 Young Victorian of the Year among many others. Wesa has solid track record in policy advocacy that applies an intersectional lenses in areas such as international relations, gender equity, disability services, international education, family violence and more. Having served in a number of board director roles for multicultural community groups, Wesa is passionate about politics and civic engagement. Wesa has dedicated many years in bringing multicultural communities together and creating pathways for individuals from multicultural and culturally diverse backgrounds to find their voice in public life. Wesa holds qualifications across multiple disciplines, including engineering, law, climate solutions, business and politics from the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Swinburne University and the University of Cambridge UK. Wesa is based in Melbourne.