Narratives for Health

Narratives for Health

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps and Health in Partnership co-lead Narratives for Health (NFH), a project based on shifting the public health ecosystem to wield narrative change and build power with communities.  

Alongside others across the country, NFH aims to build a collective of organizations seeking to shift their work to elevate ideas and worldviews that support health and racial justice.

Image

The project offers:

• Training. NFH offers trainings on narrative change. Participants use discussion guides and case examples to learn about definitions and concepts relevant to narrative strategy, and gain understanding of how to apply narrative within organizations and networks.  
• Support. Individuals who have completed initial narrative training can access ongoing support through our Community of Practice.
• Evaluation and research.  NFH provides evaluation and research services to better understand the process and impacts of narrative change.

Building Narrative Power 

Worldviews and the narratives that reinforce them can stand in the way of advancing health and equity. We can — and must — shift mindsets to create a world in which everyone thrives. 

The ability to influence worldviews by shifting narratives is a form of power. Privileged and powerful groups interested in maintaining inequities as the status quo developed and promoted a set of narratives that harm many communities by influencing worldviews and limiting change. For all communities to thrive, we must build our own narrative power to transform what we think is possible and make necessary structural changes. By doing this, we assure that health equity and racial justice become a reality. 

Here are key definitions:

Image

Dominant narratives, or narratives currently held by many people, live in our heads and actions. They exist even when we are unaware of them. An example of a dominant narrative is that one is solely responsible for one’s own success or failure, based on the value of individualism or "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps." 

Transformative narratives align a set of values with health and equity goals to help reimagine what is possible. Public health and health care can use power by applying transformative narratives that move us toward the changes we need. And, we can do this together by building a health equity narrative infrastructure. Examples of transformative narratives include: Healing is interconnected and the definition of health is broad. We take care of each other. Everyone should have what they need to thrive, and diversity is our greatest strength.

Health Equity Narrative Infrastructure is a group of people and organizations that have begun to 1) align in their understanding of narrative as a strategy for health and equity, 2) build relationships and 3) pool and manage resources to advance health and equity narratives in a multifaceted, integrated and coordinated approach.

Learn more about these key definitions and concepts in the Narratives for Health Guide in the Resources section below.

How can we shift narratives?

Shifting from dominant to transformative narratives can change people’s understanding of what is possible to advance structural change for health and equity, including racial justice.

1. Exposing dominant narratives: Dominant narratives are embedded in institutions, structures and norms. People create, advance, and maintain them to shape possibilities, decisions, policies, and culture. These dominant narratives are drawn from the values and beliefs held by those in power and are used to accept or reject information and ideas that influence decisions. 
2. Uncovering and elevating transformative narratives: We can promote narratives that shape a different vision of the future.
3. Contrasting dominant and transformative narratives and offering a choice between them: Shifting narratives is not about winning an argument. It is about engaging people to explore their values, beliefs and assumptions and to identify how they shape what happens in the world.