Culture Hack Labs’ Rhizome Fellowship Program

The namesake of this program is an ode to the underground architecture of root-like structures which are interconnected, mutually reinforcing, heterogeneous, experimental and evolutionary. From its nodes, Rhizomes send out roots and shoots growing new life.

They believe that they cannot create the deep systemic shifts that are required without narrative practitioners focused on disrupting the core assumptions of capitalist modernity and creating the conditions for new/ancient/emergent narratives that are life-centric.

The Culture Hack platform, methodology and approach is a contribution towards building these capacities while democratizing tools and knowledge access that can transform the critical narrative landscapes of the time and allow for deep collaboration between groups to coalesce around shared narratives.

What to expect?

• There is no cost for participating in this program.
• Fellows will receive access to the CHL platform, training on narrative change methodology and tools, guidance and support from trained practitioners and a community of shared practice.
• The aim of this fellowship is to support and be integrated into the existing work of the fellows.

What you will do?

In this fellowship you will:

• Collaborate with a global community of vibrant storytellers, artists, researchers, and activists.
• Dive into issue areas that are contextually relevant for these times of transition.
• Learn how to use the CHL methodology to support your systems change work.
• Work on real-world projects and make tangible impacts in various communities.
• Have your work and profile showcased on the platform and amplified throughout network.

Phases

• Phase 1: Foundation Setting (May – July)
  • In the first three months they will create shared understandings, language, sense-making approaches and familiarization with the Culture Hack platform and tools.
• Phase 2: Hacking the Narrative (July – Dec)
  • They will move into a six-month campaigning phase where the fellows will be focused on a narrative intervention. These interventions will be linked by shared frames, core logics, and actions to create a systems-level approach to shifting cultural meta-narratives around seemingly disparate issues like economic inequality, food sovereignty, land rights, the commons, racial justice, gender justice and ecological breakdown.
• Phase 3: Reflect and Refine (Jan – May)
  • The final four months will be to refine lessons and update narrative interventions in real-time, so each member of the cohort can learn and incorporate the lessons of all the other interventions.

Participants

• The 20 participants selected are a diverse group of storytellers, artists, system-economic thinkers, communicators, land defenders, researchers, journalists, community organizers, and academics from diverse contexts. These fellows will come together to create culture hacking interventions in support of life.

Criteria

• You are perfect for this if you:
  • Have experience in narrative change work, be it through journalism, art, community organizing, or academic research etc and are passionate about shaping narratives that challenge the status quo.
  • Are part of a team (3-5 people) with an active narrative/storytelling initiative who are committed to this process of hacking dominant cultural narratives and revealing new, ancient and emerging futures.
  • Are committed to shifting colonial narratives of the world towards those that celebrate and affirm human (and more than human) life as sacred.
  • Are embedded in a community or network that can act as a catalyst for your narrative hack project.
  • Can commit to engaging in bi-monthly sessions designed to inspire, challenge, and grow your narrative skills.

For more information, visit CHL.