Table of Contents
This learning module is designed to help communicators in the international development sector build inclusive, anti-racist, and ethical communication strategies. The module is divided into two key learning units:
Building an Anti-Racist Communication Strategy
This unit provides a comprehensive framework for creating communication strategies that actively challenge racism and promote equity. Participants will explore guiding questions, key strategies, and resources to help them deconstruct racism in their messaging, identify areas for improvement, and create more inclusive and anti-racist communication practices.Ethical Communication and Storytelling
This unit dives deeper into the principles of ethical storytelling and communication, divided into three sections:- Section A: Participants will reflect on how to reshape stories in ways that are inclusive, respectful, and rooted in truth.
- Section B: This section provides practical tools for initiating and navigating conversations on ethical storytelling, focusing on inclusivity, empathy, and cultural sensitivity.
- Section C: The unit culminates in a webinar that demonstrates how to apply ethical storytelling principles through a concrete example.
By the end of this module, participants will be better equipped to start developing their anti-racist communication strategies and use ethical storytelling to foster inclusivity, respect, and social change in their communications.
- Encourage continuous reflection: Promote ongoing self-assessment and reflection on personal and organizational communication practices, encouraging practitioners to actively engage with anti-racist and ethical frameworks.
- Identify key principles of anti-racist communication: Understand the role of communication in perpetuating or challenging racism, and learn how to apply anti-racist principles in messaging.
Develop inclusive and equity-driven strategies: Use the framework and strategies provided to create communication materials that amplify marginalized voices, challenge harmful narratives, and promote racial justice. - Challenge and reshape narratives: Reflect on how to critically engage with and reshape narratives in the context of international development sector to ensure they reflect a more inclusive and truthful representation of diverse communities.
- Apply ethical communication practices to real-world scenarios: Demonstrate the ability to apply ethical and anti-racist principles to craft powerful and impactful statements, such as those for Black History Month.
This module is developed around two learning units:
- Unit 1: self-paced learning
- Unit 2: 90 minutes + self-paced learning
The latter can be undertaken in any order, as can the subsections. However, we suggest that you watch the webinar at the very end, as it offers the opportunity to put your learning into practice.
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- Duration
- Learning target - Individual level
- Learning target - Organizational level
- Important information
- Interactive session (activities)
- Recommended supplies
- Support material for the session
1. Building an Anti-Racist Communication Strategies
- Self-paced unit
- Organizational level
Description: This learning unit is designed to equip international development practitioners with the tools and frameworks necessary to build anti-racist communication strategies. Developed by Pascale Diverlus, it offers a comprehensive guide to understanding and implementing anti-racist principles in communication.
2. Ethical communications & Storytelling
- Duration
- Learning target - Individual level
- Learning target - Organizational level
- Important information
- Interactive session (activities)
- Recommended supplies
- Support material for the session
Description: This second learning unit focuses on cultivating a deeper understanding of ethical storytelling and its application in real-world communications. The unit is divided into three sections:
- Section A. Participants are invited to explore the landscape of storytelling in the context of international development sector, and to engage in a personal reflection process to challenge conventional narratives and reshape them in ways that reflect truth, empathy, and respect for diverse perspectives.
- Section B. This section offers practical tips, strategies, and real-world examples to inspire meaningful conversations around how stories are told, who tells them, and the ethical considerations involved. The guide fosters an open, reflective approach to storytelling that values diverse voices and perspectives.
- Section C. In the final section, participants are invited to watch a webinar that serves as an example of how to apply the principles of ethical storytelling to the development of intentional statements.
- The unit concludes with a list of additional reference resources to deepen the learnings.
A. Ethical storytelling: Explore, Challenge and Reshape Narratives
- Self-paced learning
- Individual level
Description: First, we invite you to consult this resource developed in collaboration between the ARC Center and Cooperation Canada’s communications team, based on a session that we held during the International Cooperation Futures forum, moderated by Melissa Fundira from The New Humanitarian. Panelists included:
- Rana Nazzal Hamadeh – Palestinian Artist & Filmaker
- Celia Romulus – Assistant Professor at University of Ottawa
- Jackline Kemigisa – Writer, Podcaster & Researcher at Center for Arts, Design and Social Research
- Flavie Halias – Journalist, Strategist, and Editor of The Guide To Better Conversations About Ethical Storytelling
The resource offers key insights on best practices in storytelling and ethical communication. Featuring diverse perspectives that challenge conventional narratives, this first section invites reflection to improve narratives, strengthen partnerships and support a more inclusive and sustainable future in global cooperation. It is a resource developed to guide your reflection process to build your own pathways to ethical storytelling.
**This resource is currently being revised and will be available shortly. You can still complete the learning module and return to it later, as this second unit doesn’t have to be completed in order.**
B. The Guide To Better Conversations About Ethical Storytelling
- Individual level
- Organizational level
- This Guide was published by M&C Saatchi World Services
Description: This second section features the comprehensive Guide ” Better conversations about Ethical Storytelling – bringing together different perspectives from the development, humanitarian, and philanthropic sector”, published by M&C Saatchi World Services. It invites participants into an open dialogue on the principles of ethical storytelling.
More than just a set of rules or one-directional advice, this Guide offers an ongoing conversation that has been shaped by the real-world experiences and collective insights of storytellers, journalists, creators, and experts. By directing you to this Guide, our aim is to encourage critical thinking and active engagement to the evolving practice of ethical storytelling. As you read through the guide, keep in mind that both its content and its development process are important guidelines for more ethical storytelling.
C. How to Craft Black History Month Statements
- 90 minutes
- Individual level
- Organizational level
- Interactive session (activities)
- Paper and pen
Description: In the final section, participants are invited to watch a webinar that serves as an example of how to apply the principles of ethical storytelling to the development of thoughtful and impactful statements. Using concrete examples and step-by-step guidance, the webinar covers how to develop intentional statements, while taking ethical considerations into account, ensuring authentic, respectful and relevant communications. Of course, the learnings can be applied in multiple contexts and Black History Month is one of them, as ethical communication is key to recognizing this important month in an intentional way.
D. Resources List