Strategic Field Mapping Workshop | Narratives & Stories for Transformation
About the session
Across societies and organizations, the need for climate and biodiversity transformation is increasingly clear — yet building lasting public support, collective motivation, and meaningful action remains a major challenge.
Many established narratives around sustainability focus on crisis, urgency, responsibility, technological solutions, or individual behavior. At the same time, organizations are searching for new ways to communicate transformation that resonate with people's experiences, values, identities, and aspirations.
But what makes a narrative truly transformative? Which stories strengthen hope, trust, and collective agency — and which unintentionally reinforce fear, resistance, polarization, or disengagement?
This facilitated workshop explores narratives and storytelling through a psychological and systems-oriented lens: emotions, identity, meaning, social norms, perceived fairness, hope, trust, and individual and collective agency.
Participants from different sectors will collectively examine which narratives currently shape climate and biodiversity transformation, where existing approaches fall short, and what psychological conditions enable stories to inspire meaningful engagement and action.
Rather than focusing primarily on communication techniques or campaign messaging, the workshop takes a broader perspective on the role of narratives in shaping how people understand change, relate to one another, and imagine possible futures.
What to expect
A facilitated, participatory small-group online workshop focused on:
mapping dominant and emerging narratives of transformation,
exploring the psychological mechanisms through which narratives influence people and organizations,
identifying gaps, tensions, and unintended consequences in existing narratives,
exchanging perspectives across sectors and communities,
and identifying opportunities for more empowering, inclusive, and action-oriented narratives.
This is not a panel or presentation-based event.
Themes explored
dominant narratives of climate and biodiversity transformation
hope, fear, grief, and emotional engagement
individual and collective agency
identity, values, belonging, and meaning
trust, credibility, and perceived legitimacy
social norms and collective imagination
polarization, resistance, and unintended backlash
fairness, justice, and inclusion in transformation narratives
the relationship between storytelling and real-world action
narratives that enable cooperation and long-term transformation
Who this is for
This session is designed for:
climate and biodiversity organizations
NGOs and civil society networks
foundations and philanthropic organizations
communication and narrative strategists
sustainability and transformation leaders
public institutions and policy communication professionals
researchers in psychology, communication, social change, and behavioral science
community, Indigenous, and youth representatives
organizations working on public engagement, mobilization, and collective action
We aim to bring together participants working on narratives from different perspectives, including those developing, communicating, researching, and experiencing transformation.
If you or someone else from your organization would like to join, please request participation here in Luma.
What you will get out of it
Participants will leave with:
a deeper understanding of how narratives influence perceptions, emotions, identities, and collective action,
language to distinguish between narratives that mobilize and those that unintentionally discourage engagement,
insights into the psychological conditions that make stories meaningful and empowering,
a collective map of narrative challenges, gaps, and emerging opportunities,
and new connections with organizations working on the future of transformation narratives.
The workshop will also help identify promising directions for further research, narrative development, practical experimentation, and collaboration.
Format
Facilitated strategic dialogue & systems mapping workshop
Duration: Approximately 2.5 hours
Participants: Approximately 12-18, curated small group
Location: Online via Zoom
About ClimateMind
ClimateMind is a psychological infrastructure organization working on the human dimensions of climate, biodiversity, and societal transformation. We explore how psychological and organizational factors — such as trust, identity, emotions, resilience, cooperation, and collective agency — shape our ability to navigate change and turn ambitions into meaningful action. Our work combines psychological science with practical approaches to strengthen collaboration, decision-making, and implementation across sectors and institutions.
More details: climatemind.de/en.