Dec 10, 2020Human Rights Day 2020: Re-imagining human rights for the 21st centuryThree years ago, on Human Rights Day 2017, I first asked out loud whether we need a new model for communicating human rights. I was surprised by how many people agreed and so I set out to find it. That journey continues, but after hope-based workshops with many of you…Human Rights4 min readHuman Rights4 min read
Published inThe Tilt·Jul 7, 2020From megaphone to mosaic: five principles for narrative communicationsBy Alice Sachrajda & Thomas Coombes How can civil society groups and charities apply narrative work in practice? Based on our work with migration groups in the UK during the pandemic, we believe a crucial step is more narrative synergy between organisations that share the same values. …Narrative18 min readNarrative18 min read
Dec 18, 2019The videos that gave us hope in 2019High lachrymosity alert! Few of these ads and videos will leave you with dry eyes, but all of them will send you into the new year feeling inspired. Often coming from surprising sources, these videos touched hearts and souls this year. 2019 was a big year for me as I…Advertising7 min readAdvertising7 min read
Dec 4, 2019Here are six principles for ethical human rights communicationsHow do you tell surprising, powerful stories for social change to a global audience that respect and empower both subject and the viewer? For me, the job of a human rights communicator is to create empathy for other humans in my audience. You need to get attention for the story…Human Rights7 min readHuman Rights7 min read
Nov 11, 2019How to change narratives with hopeTwo years ago I wrote a medium post that changed my life. I had a sudden realisation that the role of human rights groups was to give people hope, not just tell them where the problems are, and that there is hope in every story, if we look for it…Human Rights6 min readHuman Rights6 min read
May 4, 2018World Review of Books – Jamaica to JordanReading stories increases empathy. What better reason to read books from other parts of the world? If every book is a chance to devleop empathy with more people, imagine how many opportunities we miss by always reading books from the same places, written by the same sort of people? That’s…Empathy9 min readEmpathy9 min read
Feb 18, 2018World Review of Books — Iceland to ItalyI believe every novel should be an adventure, revealing something wholly different to your understanding of the world. That’s why I am reading one book from every country in the world, from A to Z. I’m finding hidden gems that you won’t find on the average bookstore shelf. See more…Books15 min readBooks15 min read
Dec 10, 2017Hope, not fear: A new model for communicating human rightsSince publishing this story in 2017, the idea of hope-based communications has grown. In 2019, I set up hope-based communications as a strategic consultancy. find out more at www.hope-based.com. In 2017, my own approach to communications has completely changed. Having spent the last few months diving into the latest studies…Human Rights16 min readHuman Rights16 min read
Sep 25, 2017A World Review of Books — HI’m reading a book from every country in the world — an A to Z of undiscovered world literature. This time, books from Haiti, Honduras and Hungary. Check out more reviews here. Haiti Rene Depestre — Le Mât de cocagne (1979) Setting: An imaginary island dictatorship loosely based on 1970s Haiti. What it’s about: A former politician and opposition…El Salvador4 min readEl Salvador4 min read
Jun 23, 2017A book from every country – GThe best world literature you have never heard of, one country at a time, from A-Z. There is an incredible amount of great literature, telling important stories, that will never make it onto the shelves of your local bookstore or the pages of your newspaper. I am reading one book…Book Review14 min readBook Review14 min read
