Frank 2022 – A gathering for social change communicators

Frank 2022 was originally offered as an in-person or online experience but will now take place only virtually.

At frank 2022 we’ll explore the role of lived experience in driving lasting social change. Science tells us that stories are the most powerful tool changemakers have and that the most affected are the most effective storytellers for changing hearts and minds. And when we experience a powerful story, it can feel as though we have experienced those events for ourselves.

As the social change sector has increasingly embraced storytelling as a change strategy, significant ethical issues have emerged. Those who share their lived experience might feel that their stories have become commodities, they are “banked” and used to advance organizational agendas. Those who lived the stories may have lost control of how and where their stories are told or feel as though that single story defines them for the world.

How can the social change sector uplift peoples’ lived experiences, ensuring that these individuals are at the center of decisions about how their stories are told and the contexts in which they are shared without retraumatizing or exhausting them? And how can people who live their cause care for themselves and manage the daily responsibility of that experience?

How do we protect ourselves and others from being defined by stories others tell about our experiences? What can we learn from our field, communities, and scholarship that can help us tell stories and build the world we wish existed. Can’t or don’t want to travel? You can experience frank from where you are as well this year with our distance registrations.