We end this year with new knowledge in order to have better collectives that will build a better society. The organization for political ecology Polekol organized a seminar for partner organizations, male and female comrades, entitled “Good stories and good collectives for a better society” on December 21, 2024. Years at Prostor Miljenko Dereta as part of the Resiliency+ program.
As part of the seminar, two workshops were held on the topic of narrative and communication. The first lecture and workshop entitled “Tell your good story” was held by Jelena Kleut, professor of Media Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, and moderated by Iva Marković from Polekol. Aleksandra Živković, a communications consultant, spoke about crisis communication within the “Let’s hear each other when everything is burning” collective in the second workshop and lecture moderated by Iskra Krstić.
Narratives directed against environmental organizations and initiatives negatively affect their key resilience capacities. This negative campaign undermines public support (threatening sustainability), divisive (enabling collective action rift), discouraging innovation (limiting adaptive capacity), and creating an atmosphere of fear or hatred (reducing space for civic action). By opposing such narratives, environmental organizations and initiatives can not only protect their reputation and legitimacy, but also create more favorable conditions for their work.
The ability of organizations to tell stories about their work, and especially the changes they bring to communities, is key to building trust, legitimacy and support. Stories allow the public to connect with the mission of an organization or initiative, inspiring people to participate or support its work. Good stories help shape positive public narratives, thereby increasing the resilience of organizations to negative stereotypes, while sending a strong message to communities that change is possible. In this way, stories become a powerful tool for mobilization, empowerment and long-term sustainability.
Good internal communication is crucial for the resilience of organizations in crisis situations, as it ensures clarity, coordination and trust among team members. When information is timely and transparent, groups can quickly respond to challenges, reduce confusion and avoid unnecessary conflicts. Effective communication strengthens a sense of community and motivation, which is especially important when the pressures of a crisis situation can undermine them. In addition, it enables timely decision-making and adjustment of strategies, thus the organization remains flexible and able to continue its work despite unfavorable circumstances. Basically, internal communication is not only a technical tool, but also a support that supports the stability, trust and collective resilience of the organization.
The event ended with a discussion on plans and expectations for actions, cooperation between partner organizations and positive change in 2025.
