Stories Change Systems: Who Gets Heard, Who Gets Funded, and Who Gets to Tell the Story

About the session Stories do more than communicate impact. They shape how problems are understood, whose experiences are taken seriously, what solutions feel possible, and ultimately where attention, influence and resources flow. That makes storytelling part of the infrastructure of systems change. But storytelling also carries power. In climate, humanitarian and philanthropic work, the pressure to create urgency can flatten people into victims, statistics or compelling case studies. Funders and organisations may tell stories about communities without giving those communities meaningful control over how they are represented. And the stories circulating within the philanthropy bubble can reinforce the same assumptions rather than disrupt them. What would it mean to approach storytelling differently? This session will explore storytelling as a tool for shifting narratives, building public understanding and influencing institutions, while confronting the ethical choices involved in telling other people's stories. It will also look beyond organisational communications to the wider creative infrastructure of civic life, including documentary, publishing, festivals, archives and independent media, and ask how funders, brands and policymakers can support that ecosystem without controlling the stories it tells. Discussion Group Leaders Angela Wachuka is Founder & Managing Trustee at Book Bunk, advancing community-led cultural infrastructure by restoring and reimagining Nairobi’s historic public libraries. Babita Patel is Communications Consultant, Storyteller, and Photographer at Independent, advancing gender equality and social justice through storytelling, photography, and the arts. Isabel Mares is Strategic Initiatives & External Relations Lead at American India Foundation, advancing equitable change across public health and sustainability through global partnerships, technology, and community-centered storytelling. What to expect A creative and practical conversation grounded in real editorial decisions rather than abstract principles. Participants will examine examples from documentary, NGO communications, philanthropy and independent media, including moments when urgency, accuracy, dignity and audience needs come into tension. The discussion will explore both the craft of telling stories that move people and the deeper questions of ownership, representation and power behind them. Who this is for This session is for storytellers, communications leaders, filmmakers, journalists, funders, brands, policymakers, nonprofit leaders and anyone interested in how narratives can influence social change without compromising the dignity and agency of the people whose stories are being told. What you will get out of it A stronger understanding of storytelling as a tool for systems change Practical approaches to navigating consent, dignity, urgency and representation Ways to challenge narratives that keep philanthropy and social impact inside their own bubbles Perspectives on partnering ethically with communities, creatives, funders and brands A broader view of independent media, archives and cultural spaces as infrastructure for civic life