Create your message

For the most part, whether you are an activist or an NGO, you have a general idea what kind of message and the underlying values you want to address with your human rights based counter or alternative narrative campaign. 

 You can adopt a creative way to get from your idea to your message: take out a notebook to doodle and draw, brainstorm and make word clouds. Discuss values you want to pick up, possible slogans or developments with friends and colleagues – whatever is best to kickstart your creativity as campaigning is a creative process after all.  

If you need help to turn your idea into an actual message and campaign, our Human Rights-based Narrative tool can be helpful.

Try to sum your idea
in one key message. 

Important note: When starting the development of your campaign based on values, make sure to check whether those values are also supported or represented in your target audience. 

Interview with Frank Sharry, Communications and Campaigning Expert from the US  

The following guiding questions might be helpful when developing your counter or alternative narrative as they encourage you to reflect your own values and can indicate what might work with the intended audience:

  • What triggers your reactions and feelings?
  • How does a hateful narrative affect you and others’ lives?
  • How and which human rights are concerned in this message and which ones are being violated? Which human right(s) do you want to celebrate?
  • How do you want to help the ones who it is targeting or who has been targeted by the hateful message?
  • What do you want people reading your message to do?
  • How can you show the person behind the stereotypes, how can you tell their personal story?
More reflective questions can be found in the human rights based narrative tool.