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The Power of Storytelling in Advancing the SDGs
At the Reach Alliance, storytelling is far more than a means of communication—it’s a core method for achieving social impact through qualitative, community-based research. Across the global Reach network, researchers are trained not just to collect data, but to listen deeply and transform what they hear into compelling narratives that illuminate complexity, challenge assumptions, and drive meaningful change.
These researchers, and many go on to lead in sectors ranging from public policy to global development, understand that stories have the power to humanize issues like poverty, education inequality, and health disparities. By grounding their work in lived experience, they create research outputs that resonate with policymakers, practitioners, and communities alike. This narrative approach is particularly important in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where qualitative insights provide essential context to complement and deepen our understanding of quantitative data.
On June 10, that storytelling tradition came alive in a workshop led by Reach alumna Roshni Thawani entitled Storytelling in UX: Crafting Meaningful Narratives & Adapting for Your Audience. Presented to both current researchers and alumni, Roshni’s session highlighted how storytelling can elevate research findings and amplify their impact. Drawing from her experience as a qualitative researcher and UX facilitator, she guided participants through the art of crafting narratives that balance emotional resonance with academic rigour. Through practical exercises and community-rooted examples, attendees learned to develop stories that reflect the richness of lived experience while driving action on complex global issues.
Roshni’s workshop exemplifies how storytelling remains a dynamic and intergenerational practice within Reach. Far from a one-time event, it is part of Reach’s ongoing commitment by alumni to share skills, mentor emerging researchers, and ensure that storytelling stays at the heart of community-based research. Whether through mentorship, panels, or peer-led workshops, this culture deepens the Reach community’s collective capacity to advance the SDGs—one story at a time.
The impact of storytelling lies in its ability to connect human experience with broader systems and solutions. For the Reach researcher community, every narrative is an opportunity to build bridges between data and dialogue, communities and policymakers, and lived reality and global progress.
Stay connected with us as we continue to highlight more of the Reach Alliance’s strong voices who are using the power of story to make the invisible visible, and the impossible, reachable.
Roshni Thawani is a Reach alumna who studied Access to Justice in Rural Solomon Islands. Connect with Roshni on LinkedIn to learn more about her work and upcoming engagements.
