Together with Brendon Bosworth from Human Element Communications, and since 2020, we have run our online Communicating science for impact course in various forms, and with scientists from a wide range of specialisations. These include: sustainable development (School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan), climate change and development (African Climate and Development Initiative and ARUA Centre of Excellence in Climate and Development), mineral law (South African Research Chair: Mineral Law in Africa), and conservation (South African National Biodiversity Institute / Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries). We tailor the training material and course format according to the specific needs of each client. For more information contact us, view our course website.

We’ve worked with Change Pathways on several projects that required technical content to be made more understandable and engaging for stakeholders, shareholders and investors. These include:

• Writing, copy-editing and infographic development for African Rainbow Minerals as part of their Climate Change and Water Report (2022).

• Writing, copy-editing and the conceptualisation of infographics for PPC as part of their first comprehensive response to the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (2021).

• Writing, copy-editing, document layout and infographic development for Assore Limited as part of their Carbon Footprint Report (2021).

• Several briefing notes and a white paper for Konrad Adenauer Stiftung regarding the impacts of Covid-19 on the power sector in sub-Saharan Africa, and the role of the power sector in socioeconomic recovery (2020/21).

The ARUA Centre of Excellence in Climate and Development (ARUA-CD) is an African-led and pan-African response to the continent’s climate-related development challenges and the knowledge and capacity urgently needed to address these. We supported ARUA-CD over a three-year period (2020-2022), developing and implementing a communication strategy, producing multiple specialist communication products (including infographics, information briefs and videos), and strengthening early-career researcher capacity for online presentation and facilitation through the design and facilitation of short online courses.

The Supporting Partnerships and Networking (SPaN) project (which falls under the ARUA-CD banner) used student funding and staff exchanges to maximise existing African expertise and build new networks and communities of practice. A final output of SPaN was the development of a short course to support early-career researchers in conducting meaningful, collaborative and effective multi-stakeholder engagements. We supported SPaN in managing the course development process, copy-editing and designing learning material, surveying and liaising with potential participants, and creating a learning management system and promotional material.

By creating a network of communication and action, Partnerships for Resilience through Innovation and Integrated Management of Emergencies and Disasters (PRIMED) aimED to harness the power of social innovation to enhance the resilience and sustainability of coastal communities in the Global South. More specifically, PRIMED set out to build digital infrastructure to identify local needs, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information, and support mutual learning. We supported PRIMED over a three-year period (2019-2021), developing the project’s communication strategy, co-facilitating workshops, developing and maintaining a website, copy-editing written content, and designing infographics, reports, and banners.

The Berg-Breede Community of Practice is a transdisciplinary group that focuses on improving resilience and equity in the Berg-Breede Catchment in the Western Cape, South Africa.

We worked together with researchers from this group to synthesise findings from a transdisciplinary workshop series into a set of engaging key messages. We then copy-edited and designed a policy brief and stand-alone infographic  regarding the ways funders can better support transdisciplinary research for equitable and resilient landscapes, and copy-edited and designed an information brief to show how enduring partnerships can build sustainable and just landscapes.

The Neuroscience Institute (NI), based at the University of Cape Town, is an interdisciplinary and international network of scientists, clinicians, students and civil society stakeholders that uses research and innovation, training and capacity development, and advocacy and engagement to develop the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to help understand the human brain and advance healthcare in the African context.

Drawing on the insights and communication needs of NI team members, we developed a five-year communications strategy for the NI that articulates the institute’s communication goals and target audiences, and that sets out a work plan that is implementable given funding and capacity constraints. We also used the NI theory of change and research strategy to write a foundation narrative for the institute, and infused this content into their website while improving the website’s layout and functionality.

The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) is a not-for-profit organisation that for 15 years has been working to ensure the long-term survival of leopard populations for the benefit of nature and society. They use a combination of research, conservation, and education to better understand leopards, mitigate human-leopard conflict, promote biodiversity conservation and habitat connectivity, uplift and upskill community members living in leopard areas, and inspire the next generation to become conservation ambassadors. 

We developed a narrative version of the CLT theory of change for use on all front-facing communication material, and wrote stories of impact for the CLT’s 15 year report (pgs 10, 14, 18 and 26). Through this work we identified strategic ways of framing the organisation’s key activities and impacts, as well as new avenues for research. We developed website content for each of these focus areas, and proposed a new structure for the website that could more simply and effectively convey the organisation’s purpose, impact and needs. Lastly, we worked with the CLT team to develop a mid-term communication strategy with clearly-articulated communication goals, objectives and activities.