How do we turn our stories into impact? A good story touches hearts, and a story backed by evidence can move systems. In the Adaptation Network workshop on advocacy, held in October 2025 participants explored how influencing policy requires both – the emotion that connects and the facts that convince.
Advocacy as shared responsibility
The goal of policy advocacy is to influence decision-makers to act in line with community needs and rights. Advocacy is not just about raising your voice. It relies on strategy, evidence and clear communication to bring people together around shared goals.
It is also about supporting the government to do the work it is tasked to do. Effective advocacy recognises that government departments face competing priorities and that real progress happens when communities and officials work side by side.
Clarity of purpose
For advocacy to make a real impact, the goal must be clear. During the workshop, in an Advocacy Action Plan exercise, participants from Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape defined their goal as:
“By October 2026, Buffalo City Municipality will have installed 60 water tanks of 10 000 litres each across 19 villages in and around Ncerha. Six tanks will be placed in each village, in locations that are easy for everyone to access, including persons with disabilities.”
This goal reflects the heart of effective advocacy. It’s specific, practical and rooted in lived experience. The group has since put their advocacy action plan into motion — they returned home, formed a Water Caucus, and are already in touch with their local municipality to start implementing the plan. Their experience showed how clear goals can quickly turn into coordinated action.
The power of story and evidence
Facts and figures support the story and make it real. Data shows the scale of a problem, while stories make people care enough to act. The most effective advocacy combines both head and heart.
In Shadreck Mucheku’s talk on evidence, he shared the power of accurate data, “Once you have the numbers… for example, out of 62 million people in South Africa about 3.3 million have disabilities, you realise you can’t ignore 3.3 million people. That’s the point of evidence – it strengthens advocacy and drives policy change.”
As an example, a statistic about an individual who walks four kilometres for water becomes far more powerful when it is paired with the voice of a woman who walks those kilometres each day. It is the balance of empathy and accuracy that builds public trust and policy influence.
Crystal Wilton, a participant and documenter at the workshop, described this approach as “passing the mic – not speaking for people, but letting them speak for themselves.” She added, “So much of advocacy is about giving people agency when they’re usually spoken for or excluded.”
Ndivile Mokoena, a seasoned advocate from GenderCC South Africa, shared, “We had some advocacy tips from a researcher from the University of Fort Hare, who highlighted the importance of data — that in advocacy, it’s important to have evidence to support your case. He showed us different ways of collecting data, and I realised that as an organisation, we’ve often said there isn’t enough data. But what I learnt yesterday is that we can start creating our own.”
Storytelling in action: Temperature Rising
A powerful example of storytelling for advocacy during the workshop was the screening of Temperature Rising, a South African documentary film that moves audiences from awareness to action through its personal and collective narratives. Its emotional depth and visual power showed what advocacy looks like in action – how stories can stir empathy, reveal injustice and mobilise people to respond.
Shadreck reflected, “Temperature Rising was a thought-provoking documentary that profoundly expanded my understanding of advocacy and social change. The film shed light on the multifaceted challenges faced by activists, particularly the youth, as they navigate resistance from entrenched systems of power. Yet, it also emphasised the remarkable potential that young people hold when their voices are amplified and united for a common cause. I was especially struck by the message that advocacy is rarely an easy path — it demands persistence, courage and conviction. The documentary reinforced the idea that meaningful change often begins with those who dare to challenge the status quo, even when the odds seem overwhelming.”
Noluthando Lebaka from GenderCC shared “While we were watching the impact film I was so emotional to see the importance of advocating for change and thinking about how many people have died because of climate change, and how important it is for us to work on adaptation plans.”
Creativity as an advocacy tool
Throughout the week, participants experimented with theatre, photography and digital storytelling to explore how creative methods can move ideas from emotion to influence.
The role-playing, theatre session allowed people to embody different perspectives – a community member, a government official, a protestor. In another session, participants learnt smartphone photography and visual storytelling.
Thamathama Ratshili from Vhembe Biosphere Reserve reflected, “What surprised me most was the creative power of art and storytelling in climate advocacy. The use of theatre, photography, and participatory games demonstrated that engagement does not have to rely solely on reports or data presentations. These creative tools can reach hearts as well as minds.”
Collaboration as advocacy
The workshop itself was a form of advocacy – the kind that builds relationships and shared understanding. Over several days, civil society groups, representatives from government departments and community-based organisations sat together, listened and learned from one another.
In that space, policy met lived experience. Activists shared the daily realities of drought, disability and exclusion, while officials explained the processes and constraints behind government decisions. This exchange built mutual respect and trust – vital foundations for long-term collaboration.
As Ndivile reflected, “Bringing different stakeholders into one room has an immense impact. It helps us understand one another, build partnerships and learn together. Holding hands and working together is the best recipe for fairness and justice.”
Thembelihle Ngcai from Disabled Youth South Africa added, “Climate adaptation is not an abstract conversation – it is deeply tied to the lived experiences of persons with disabilities in South Africa. There is comfort in realising that impact does not depend on large budgets, but on intention, coordination, and storytelling power.”
Turning stories into systems change
As Thembelihle said, “The work ahead will take persistence and humility, but also imagination.” Imagination breathes life into advocacy. It turns a story told in a room into a movement on the ground and a policy on paper into water flowing from a tap in an environment where there is a need.
Advocacy begins with empathy, grows through evidence and endures through collaboration. When communities learn to tell their stories clearly and back them with facts, they don’t just ask for change – they ignite the change.
