| Huddle | What we’ll explore | Led by |
|---|---|---|
| The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword How communicators can spark social change | Public interest communicators play a pivotal role in sharing messages that inspire the public to act for the greater good. To fulfill that role, the field needs more research on what motivates people to support and join social change. This session dives into studies on how framing, emotional appeals and other factors affect whether people act on social issues. You’ll get familiar with current psychological research on how people respond to climate change, inequality and other societal issues, and how to put the findings to work. | Lou Pavek |
| Youth Research Identity, culture and issue advocacy | What do young people really think about culture, equity and identity? Political discourse often centers on how Gen Alpha and younger Gen Z will shape our future, but the loudest voices on social media leave out the fuller picture. RALLY commissioned research on how younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha think about the issues that matter most. RALLY will share insights from that research and lead a discussion about engaging up-and-coming generations in issue advocacy: our shared curiosities, concerns and successes. | Amy Clark RALLY |
| The Whole Beast The connections are the story | Public problems usually get communicated as separate issues, each with its own message, constituency and solution. But a city, a community or an institution is a whole system, and many of the boundaries between its issues come from how we organize and communicate them. In this interactive session, you’ll look across those boundaries for consequential and unexpected connections, and explore how the connections themselves can become the story and open new possibilities for action. | Matt Schulte LowerBoom |
| Solutions Journalism Stories What they are and how to pitch them | In the last decade, a different kind of reporting has been gaining traction in U.S. newsrooms and around the globe. You’ll learn what makes a solutions journalism story and get tips for pitching this kind of story to media. | Allison Frost Oregon Public Broadcasting |
| Standing for Democracy The need for an effective narrative, and why it’s on all of us | Across sectors and fields, we need to build shared expectations and norms that don’t just protect democracy but improve it and build real trust. That takes both a story that broadens engagement and a broader set of voices, and social impact communicators are critical to doing both. Let’s huddle on how to use a movement of movements, communication platforms, authentic engagement and the voices of the diverse organizations, issues and coalitions we support. Inclusive, participatory democracy is not one issue among many. It’s the core operating system nearly every cause relies on to make social progress. | Eric Friedenwald-Fishman Metropolitan Group |
| Shifting a Comms Strategy to a Public Interest Comms Strategy | In this session, we’ll talk about how a strategic communications plan that’s focused on a goal that’s bigger than you or your organization may look different than more traditional plans. | Ann Searight Christiano Director, Center for Public Interest Communications Erin Hart Hart Strategies |
| Oregon Civic Newsstand | How the Oregon Civic Newsstand is getting people the information they need to engage in civic life, and what they’re still seeking to learn and do. | Andrew DeVigal Agora Journalism Center, University of Oregon |