Christina Palassio is a strategic communications professional and writer with a background in journalism and more than 20 years of experience working in the arts, food security, and international development sectors. In addition to contributing to The Philanthropist, she also writes about cycling, culture, and causes for The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Canadian Cycling, and other publications. She’s proud to be a member of Humber College’s Professional Writing Certificate advisory committee and the co-chair of Unlock Democracy Canada, a grassroots, non-partisan organization committed to strengthening Canada’s democracy.
Comment attirer l’attention et faire évoluer de manière significative les mentalités sur les enjeux qui sont leurs raisons d’être? Et comment le faire d’une manière qui donne la priorité au transfert du pouvoir narratif aux groupes concernés par ces enjeux? Avec un nombre croissant d’organisations qui s’engagent dans le changement narratif et partagent leurs expériences, de nouvelles façons de penser et d’aborder le travail émergent.
What can we do to capture attention and meaningfully shift the mindsets on our issues? And how can we do that in a way that prioritizes shifting narrative power to the groups affected by the issues we’re talking about? With a rising number of organizations engaging with narrative change and sharing learnings, more ways of thinking about and approaching the work are emerging.
The Canadian-registered Mastercard Foundation is one of the largest charities in the world and has a global/local mandate, with its Young Africa Works 2030 strategy and a commitment to reaching 100,000 Indigenous youth in Canada.
Contributor Christina Palassio talked to renowned communications strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio recently about the power and promise of positive messaging and how non-profits and charities – from leaders and funders to fundraisers and communicators – can navigate increasingly polarized and polarizing political and cultural environments and move donors and supporters to take action for lasting positive, unifying change.
While access to abortion is protected in Canada, not everyone who needs an abortion can get one, and public opinion has been affected by ideological shifts in Canada and abroad. Frédérique Chabot, director of domestic health promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights, talks about policy goals, framing the case for increasing access, and the need to dispel harmful narratives.
In an exclusive interview with Christina Palassio, Anand Giridharadas, whose latest book is The Persuaders, talks about building progressive fronts, crafting popular narratives that unite instead of divide, and crossing political lines to connect with people on a values level.
In the midst of Canada’s housing crisis, there’s a strong narrative that housing is a commodity rather than our right. Bonnie Mah, strategic narrative lead at Maytree, considers the opportunities and challenges of rights-based framing and talks about how she and her colleagues are trying to shift the conversation on housing in Canada.
The dominant narratives and stigma around disability can limit children from living full lives. Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital believes it has a responsibility to challenge that narrative. Here’s how they’re doing it.
