What if inspiration and intentionality could fuel activists in challenging times?
Mika Ortega, a communication, narrative, and brand strategist, trains civil society organizations in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific on hope-based communications. In a challenging political climate, Mika's workshops have helped activists reframe their narratives to inspire hope, action, and motivation.
In challenging social and political climates activists and organizations often find it difficult to operate effectively and maintain their impact. In 2020, civil society in the Philippines were faced with the fear surrounding a global pandemic, as well as an oppressive political and social climate under President Duterte’s administration. Many activists felt overwhelmed and disillusioned, struggling with the work they were doing.
Amidst feelings of burnout and hopelessness, Mika Ortega, a communication, narrative, and brand strategist and dedicated advocate for social impact, discovered the transformative power of hope-based communications as a tool to rally and inspire civil society in her region.
At the time, there were projects and groups that had been using hopeful messaging, but there was no unified framework or language to articulate these concepts effectively. Mika recalls that “there was a collective consciousness of how marketing and behavior change could and should work, but we didn’t have a way to articulate it. We all had different words, we were using different formats, but we didn’t know why.”
Discovering hope-based communication was a “breath of fresh air” for Mika, which provided her with a new framework to inspire change and hope within her community. Trained in 2021 to become a trainer herself, Mika's understanding of the approach grew, and the concept began taking hold in the social impact spaces in the Philippines. She now conducts workshops for various organizations, local community groups, and university students on the principles and importance of hope-based communications.
As her own understanding of the hope-based approach grew, and the concept slowly started taking hold in the social impact spaces in the Philippines, and Mika can see hope growing around her. She now conducts workshops with various organizations and local community groups, and even for university students, on the principles and importance of hope-based communications.
Though hope-based trainings are popular and sought-after among the impact sector in the Philippines, there are still challenges she often faces in her workshops: “People wrestle with the idea at first because they’re concerned that they’re giving false hope or false promises to people,” she says. People often push back, asking, “How do I talk about the bad things, the killings, the death?”
Having been an activist for a long time, Mika has personally experienced loss and trauma. She shares her own experiences with the organizations she works with, demonstrating that it is possible to experience hope even amidst profound challenges. Her personal stories of resilience help her connect with others and show that hope is a powerful tool for healing and action.
And Mika says that hope looks different for everyone; it’s something that changes. “You need to be embedded into the context to know what is hopeful for that specific problem at that time,” she says. “You need to figure out what kind of darkness you’re dealing with, and what kind of light is really a light.”
And training that hope-muscle takes time, research, and a deep understanding of the context you’re working with. “Hope is an invitation for activists and advocates to have a moment of self reflection: do you still believe in the work you’re doing, or not? Because that shows up in the communications you come up with,” says Mika.
“Hope is an invitation for activists and advocates to have a moment of self reflection: do you still believe in the work you’re doing, or not?”
One one the common pieces of feedback that Mika often hear during trainings is: “I had a lot to say when you asked me about what’s wrong and the problems we face, but when you asked me to imagine the world I want to build, I didn’t have the words. How is that possible?”
This is the power of hope in civil society and social impact communications: “you become more aware of the work you’re doing, the materials you’re putting together. You become more intentional,” says Mika. “You start asking yourself: are you acting out of fear, or are you being strategically hope-based?”
She reflects that hope-based communications is a very specific tool designed for action. It encourages communicators to be intentional, and aim for genuine change rather than just going through the motions. “If you want people to go above and beyond, you have to give them hope,” she asserts.
Hope-based communications also serve as a gateway to other approaches. It provides an anchor, allowing communicators to see when the approach works and when it doesn’t, impacting the way communications are appreciated and executed. “Being hope-based allows us to be more aware of who we really are and how we articulate things,” says Mika.
Mika’s work in the Philippines and beyond underscores the importance of embedding hope-based principles into civil society organizations and their external communications to inspire the sector and amplify their impact. Hope-based communications gives the people working on social impact projects a structured framework to inspire hope among their audiences while also working with intentionality, which helps them to navigate challenging environments and achieve meaningful social impact.
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