The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Center for Public Interest Communications, Radical Communicators and creative agency Milli are the recipients of a Bronze Anthem Award for BROKE, a guide for the social change sector to tell better stories.

The BROKE project, funded through the Omidyar Network as part of the Global Grand Challenges program, is the result of a three-year, multi-disciplinary, national research project to provide an intervention for philanthropic and non-profit sectors to communicate about how the rich got rich and how the poor stay poor.

Center Director Ann Searight Christiano, former Director of Research Annie Neimand, Research Associate Jack Barry, and Managing Director Matt Sheehan contributed to the project.

The project encourages the nonprofit sector to examine the narratives around poverty and homelessness and provides strategies to work together to create new narratives. The project unlocked nine principles, with original research and examples from grassroots storytellers. Among those principals are:

• Tell stories about individuals navigating systems.
• Build the capacity of communities to share stories.
• Use visual images and frames to explain complexity and engage communities.
• Be intentional with the language you use.
• Amplify stories—ethically.

BROKE, which officially launched in June 2022, has already reached tens of thousands of communicators, strategists, journalists, and non-profit professionals through word-of-mouth, free presentations, and workshops/trainings.

The second annual Anthem Awards celebrate purpose and mission-driven work from people, companies and organizations worldwide. BROKE received the award in the Human & Civil Rights Research Projects/Publications Awareness & Media Campaign (For Profit) category.

Posted: February 22, 2023
Category: Center for Public Interest Communications, College News
Tagged as: Ann Searight Christiano, Anthem Award, Center for Public Interest Communications, Jack Barry, Matt Sheehan