The power of storytelling in creating radical change
You may have seen that we’re currently recruiting for a new Storyteller. This is exciting for two reasons:
1). It’s always an amazing privilege to be able to bring a new person into the team
2). We believe that storytelling is an underrated tool to creating radical social change
In a time that feels particularly bleak for everyone, we (the world) desperately need storytelling that is compassionate, human and ambitious. We need more people to show us how the world currently is and how it could be - in all its brilliant and infinite possibilities.
At Rising, we do a degree of that - dreaming up new ways of being and existing in the world, and sharing that with our community and the rest of the sector - be it through commissions, advocacy, research, consultancy or training - but we know that having someone in the team who is dedicated to holding the overarching story of what we do, how we do it and more importantly, why we do it, will make the world of difference.
Why?
We want to bring more people along on the journey we’re on through stories about our work that captivate, inspire, enrich and open the doors in our collective imaginations about the possibilities of how the world can be but we know there are barriers to everyone coming on board with us. The first is around understanding what we are. We know that for some, Rising can be a lot to get your head around. As a not-for-profit that is also an agency, we sometimes have to straddle seemingly contradictory things to create our own definitions of what we are and the change we can create. This can be difficult for some people, who like things to be packaged in neat boxes, to grasp. While we embrace the messiness, it is not always accessible.
A young woman with a phone is taking a photo of a young man who is standing candidly
We also hold issues around capacity. Like many other small, mission-driven organisations and collectives, we do so much that some of the specifics can get lost. As a small team, working tirelessly yet joyfully to do this work, we don’t always have the headspace to communicate why we do what we do or the impact it's having.
Another barrier is around how we tell stories about our work. What we’ve seen through the different iterations of our #WhoseFuture campaign, for example, is that people respond well to anger and urgency. Being loud and angry is sexy - “look at all those angry young people, let’s listen to them”. And while there will always be a place for anger in our work, being in a state of perpetual and visible anger is not healthy nor sustainable. Anger is often reactive and we got to a point where we needed to be proactive in how we work. How do you meaningfully hold those feelings and turn them into something generative that doesn’t lead to the burn out of your team and community? As we’ve tried to transition to a more sustainable way of advocating for change, our demands have been lost on some people because we’re trying to be slower, more intentional and caring of ourselves and our community. But just because we’re not shouting, doesn’t mean that what we’re talking about doesn’t hurt us, or hold weight.
That’s partially why we need a storyteller.
We make bold decisions about how we work and who we work with. We strive for independence. We think it’s a positive and strong statement for young people to lead something as dynamic and radical as Rising. We also believe it's important that we are paid fairly for the work and the contributions we are making to the sector because we are pushing for change.
We’ve been thinking a lot about legacy at the moment. What will be the lasting impact of this crazy little thing called Rising Arts Agency? What stories will be told about Rising 40 years from now? Will what we have done here together made a difference?
We’d like to think that if Rising had to close permanently tomorrow, that we'd have created a legacy of radical challenge, doing things differently and opening doors for more young people to genuinely lead that will live on through our community and partners.
But who knows?
All we really have are the stories people tell themselves and tell others. That's why we need a storyteller.
We’re looking for a new Storyteller to take our profile to the next level and help us communicate what we’re about – could it be you?
Thank you for reading this. If you want to support us to share our ways of working across the sector and beyond, please consider joining the Rising Alliance or increasing your regular donation.