Welcome to our
2024 Impact Highlights

Dear Friends and Partners,

At Comms Hub, 2024 has been a testament to the extraordinary potential of digital spaces in reshaping public discourse and driving social change. As we reflect on this transformative year, we're proud to share how we've turned digital challenges into opportunities for meaningful impact across countries and social issues.

Our experience has shown that effective narrative change requires more than just presence in digital spaces – it demands sophisticated analysis, strategic coordination, and sustained capacity building. We've observed how limited access to digital tools and analytical capabilities can constrain organizations' ability to drive meaningful change. However, we've also discovered that when properly resourced and supported, local teams can achieve remarkable impact through data-driven communications strategies.

This report showcases the collective achievements of our network. Each success story represents countless hours of collaboration, innovation, and dedication from teams across the globe. As we look ahead, we're excited to share our vision for scaling these capabilities across countries and regions. We believe that by providing comprehensive digital narrative analysis tools and creating collaborative ideation spaces, we can amplify the impact of pro-democracy and social justice organizations worldwide.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

With unwavering dedication,
Comms Hub team

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Highlights

of 2024

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Democracy

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Disinformation

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Engaging young
men (new masculinities)

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Gender justice

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Climate
action

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Immigration

Global collaboration

Worked with Member Hubs and Key Partners in 13 countries.

Armenia, Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Latvia, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Our Network: Building Bridges Across Continents

The strength of Comms Hub lies in our diverse network of partners and Member Hubs, each bringing unique perspectives and expertise to our collective goals. Throughout 2024, we've deepened our existing partnerships while forging powerful new connections across Europe, Eurasia, and Africa.


Welcoming Well Made Strategy

In 2024, we achieved a significant milestone by welcoming Well Made Strategy (WMS) as our newest Member Hub, marking our first strategic expansion into Africa. WMS has been working with 30 social justice groups in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, polishing their communications and helping with their fundraising. They have also worked with CSOs in Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia and Nigeria. With Komons and Africa Media Trust, they have been leading the Kenya Comms Hub, coaching and building networks but also campaigning with creatives and techies, journalists and human rights defenders. They have recently become the new guardians of the groundbreaking sexual health and HIV awareness brand Be in the Know.

Europe map

In 2024, we worked with,

Apart from our Member Hubs, we also worked with the European Institute of Gender Equality, the European Climate Foundation, and the Civil Liberties Union for Europe. These partnerships have enabled us to respond effectively to challenges across multiple regions. Together, we're building a more connected and effective ecosystem for data-driven narrative change.

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Testimonials

"Being part of the Comms Hub has been incredibly valuable. We learn from our colleagues across the world, and we hope they learn from us too. The opportunity to share ideas and methodologies is extremely useful and has helped us to move faster and more efficiently when faced with relentless opposition. Joining Comms Hub was our best strategic decision of 2024."

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"Collaborating with passionate peers at Comms Hub has strengthened our efforts to counter disinformation and amplified the reach of our campaigns. This partnership has equipped us with innovative tools and strategies to engage audiences more effectively."

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Campaigns

Completed three campaigns in Armenia, Germany and Ukraine

Public opinion research

Conducted two focus groups in Spain and produced four polling reports

Digital research

Produced ten digital research reports

Grantmaking

Regranted USD 95,000 to two organizations

Learning

Hosted three peer learning events for civil society stakeholders, and the Comms Hub team participated in nine external events

Content creation

Published four articles, ten videos, and twelve reports

Mentorship

Provided capacity building and mentorship to nine organizations

Leadership change

2024 marked a significant transition in Comms Hub's leadership as we welcomed Dr. Christal Morehouse as our new Executive Director.

This change represents not just a new chapter in our organization's story but a strengthening of our commitment to data-driven communication for social change. We also want to thank Lilit Poghosyan for her transformative leadership for almost two years.

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Our

projects

France, Germany, Italy, and Poland

Shaping democracy: Strategic insights for European Parliament elections 2024

Our strategic polling briefs for the 2024 European Parliament elections provided critical insights for civil society organizations (CSOs) across France, Germany, Italy, and Poland. These data-driven analyses focused particularly on understanding and addressing the youth voter turnout gap, offering actionable strategies for engaging younger demographics in the democratic process.

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Ukraine

Innovative approaches to counter disinformation

In the face of ongoing challenges in Ukraine, Comms Hub, alongside our Ukrainian Member Hub, Common Sense Communication (CSC), launched an innovative campaign combining traditional advocacy with digital engagement to combat disinformation and strengthen democratic narratives. The centerpiece of this initiative was an interactive "Propaganda Bear Quiz," which creatively engaged thousands of participants in learning to identify and counter disinformation, while providing valuable data on public resilience to propaganda. Through these efforts, we've not only raised awareness about disinformation but also developed practical tools for building public resilience against propaganda. Learn more.

Armenia

Strengthening civil society in Armenia

The CivilSociety4You project represents a landmark achievement in collective impact through strategic communications. Working with nine CSOs, in collaboration with the Democracy Development Foundation, we addressed crucial issues ranging from supporting conflict-affected women to advocating for police reform, employing a comprehensive approach that combined rigorous polling, focus group insights, and digital landscape analysis.

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Austria, Latvia, and Poland

Social media listening for climate action narratives

In partnership with the European Climate Foundation, we conducted digital research across three European countries to offer crucial insights for climate action communications. Under the leadership of our Global Digital Research Lead, we conducted detailed analyses of audience engagement patterns, narrative effectiveness, and influencer networks across different national contexts. The findings revealed crucial differences in how climate messages resonate across different cultural contexts. This research showcases the importance of locally tailored approaches while identifying common threads that can amplify climate messaging across borders.

Poland and Spain

Understanding digital conversations on gender-based violence

Our comprehensive analysis of gender-based violence (GBV) digital narratives in Poland and Spain has provided insights into how these crucial conversations unfold across different social media platforms. This research, conducted in partnership with the European Institute for Gender Equality, revealed distinct patterns across platforms: Instagram emerged as a positive space for GBV discussions, while Platform X showed more polarized engagement. These findings offer CSOs concrete guidance for platform-specific communication strategies, identifying both opportunities and challenges in different digital spaces. The research particularly highlighted the importance of understanding local contexts and movements in shaping effective GBV communications, providing actionable recommendations for CSOs working on gender justice.

Spain

Green Flags collective campaign for addressing teenage misogyny in Spain

Laintersección, our Member Hub in Spain, is taking on a tough but crucial challenge: addressing the rise of anti-feminism and reactionary attitudes among young men. They're not just sounding the alarm; they're actively developing creative digital strategies to counter this trend. Their Green Flags campaign delves into the complex reasons behind this phenomenon, exploring the insecurities and anxieties young men face in a rapidly changing world. By understanding these underlying issues, Laintersección is crafting engaging content and building online communities that promote healthy masculinity, challenge harmful stereotypes, and foster a more inclusive and equitable society. Learn more.

Croatia, Hungary, Italy, and Sweden

Protecting democratic space in Italy, Hungary, Croatia, and Sweden

We conducted digital research in partnership with the Civil Liberties Union for Europe to shape how we understand and protect civic space across Europe. Through comprehensive digital analysis of public discourse and social movements, we've uncovered vital insights about how different communities engage with fundamental rights and democratic participation. The project focuses on critical issues unique to each country context. This collaborative effort goes beyond traditional research by providing practical tools and resources for CSOs.

Voices

from the
Comms Hub team

Understanding and shaping narrative change

Christal Morehouse
Executive Director, Comms Hub

Narrative change is a concept that is gaining popularity; it comes about through widely shared stories that guide our values and shape how people make sense of information and experiences. There is no one way to approach narrative change. However, for narrative change to ‘stick’, it would need to take place with wider audiences, such as reaching a majority of the population at the state or country level, depending on the aim of the intended change. To get a common understanding, let’s imagine one concrete way to benchmark and track narrative change.

Understanding organic narratives

Digital research, such as collecting GDPR-compliant (The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation) data from social media, can allow us to identify a ‘universe of people’ (such as users on X/Twitter or public Facebook Pages) engaging large audiences in debate. By looking at the most engaging content on an issue, we can understand which stories are being told, retold and are spreading to millions of people in a given period. Analyzing that content, we can distill the main storylines (narratives) that provide a framework for sense-making on an issue.

Let’s take an example and look at what a community narrative analysis of users would look like. Let’s start by imagining a community analysis that depicts the posts of Members of Parliament (MPs) on Platform X/Twitter and everyone who engages with MPs.

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Data with purpose: Strengthening civil society through digital research

An Interview with
Wanda Sanchez

In an era where digital narratives shape public discourse, understanding how to effectively analyze and utilize social media and digital media data has become crucial for civil society organizations (CSOs). Wanda Sanchez, our Global Digital Research Lead at Comms Hub, talks about how CSOs can leverage digital research tools to advance social justice and strengthen democracy. With extensive experience in digital analysis and a passion for reducing inequalities, Wanda offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of digital research and data-driven strategic communications.

Understanding Platform Dynamics

How do narratives differ across social media platforms, and what implications does this have for CSOs?

"Each platform has its own unique ecosystem and engagement patterns," Wanda explains.
"Instagram, for instance, has emerged as a more progressive platform, particularly appealing to younger audiences and women content creators. It's very visual in nature, which means CSOs need to invest in compelling visual content to effectively reach their audience. What's particularly interesting about Instagram is how it's become a safe space for sharing personal experiences – we've seen this, especially in our gender-based violence research, where victims feel more comfortable sharing their stories directly rather than through traditional media channels."

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Demography: The ticking time bomb threatening Europe’s democracy

Matthew C. MacWilliams
Global Public Opinion Strategist, Comms Hub

Previously published in Politico

The question is, what can be done to bolster support for democracy among Europe’s youth before it’s too late?

In Europe, democracy is conceived of as a fundamental value that enjoys broad, unwavering public support across the Continent. As such, the far-right wave predicted to make landfall during next month’s European election is seen as no more than a transitory political phenomenon. Surely, European democracy will persist and persevere over time.

But this fairy-tale ending, the story of the inevitability of democracy in Europe, is as comforting as it is dead wrong.

Data from numerous surveys shows that consistent support for democracy across Europe is already quite low. And if demography is destiny, it looks like public support for democracy will continue to fall, with Europe possibly reaching an inflection point where nondemocratic forms of government not only take root but flourish.

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