How do we build and use power at a time when trust is fragile, attention is fragmented and hostility towards civil society is growing?
That was the question at the heart of Changing hearts and minds 2026: People, power and persuasion, Agenda’s annual event for communicators, campaigners and leaders from charities, trade unions and campaigning organisations.
Bringing together more than 50 participants from across civil society, the event explored how organisations can build influence, mobilise support and create change in an increasingly challenging environment.
Across a day of comms theory, case studies and practical workshops, one clear pathway emerged: civil society can build power through relationships, shared ambitions and collective action.
Building power from the ground up
The day opened with a powerful contribution from Citizens UK’s Sébastien Chapleau, who challenged participants to think differently about power.
Drawing on Citizens UK’s community organising approach, Sébastien argued that lasting change rarely comes from individuals or organisations acting alone. Instead, it comes from listening deeply to communities’ concerns and aspirations, building relationships between people and institutions, and creating the conditions for collective action.
Using the example of a campaign to fund mental health support in schools, he demonstrated how individual experiences can become collective concerns and how collective concerns can become political change.
His session set the tone for the day, highlighting the importance of organising, participation, shared agency and tenacity in creating social change.
Turning lived experience into change
One of the most moving sessions of the day came from Gambling with Lives.
James Grimes shared the charity’s journey from a small group of bereaved families seeking answers after gambling-related deaths, to becoming one of the UK’s most influential voices on gambling reform.
The session explored how lived experience can become a powerful source of influence when people are supported to tell their stories, shape campaigns and challenge dominant narratives.
Participants heard how Gambling with Lives has helped shift public understanding of gambling harm, challenge industry framing and contribute to significant policy reforms. The session reinforced a theme that appeared throughout the day: the people closest to a problem are often closest to the solution.
To put this learning into action, participants were asked to consider the power dynamics at play in their own worlds, what is shifting, where they feel like they have or haven’t got influence or control and the changes they needed to make to respond to this.
Growing power through alliances
The conversation then turned to the question of partnerships and coalition-building.
Agenda co-director Victoria Barlow explored how organisations can grow their influence by working with unexpected allies and building campaigns that reach beyond their existing supporters. She encouraged participants to think carefully about who holds power, who influences decision-makers and how diverse voices can strengthen a campaign’s credibility and reach.
Priya Rane, head of news and media at the Trades Union Congress, brought those ideas to life through the campaign for the Employment Rights Act.
She shared how trade unions worked alongside women’s organisations, academics, anti-poverty campaigners and workers with lived experience to build support for the biggest expansion of workers’ rights in a generation. The campaign demonstrated how broad coalitions can create the political and public momentum needed to secure significant change.
Participants were then encouraged to think about what they were trying to change in the world, who else might benefit from or support these changes and whether there were any unlikely partners they could work with.
Standing firm in the face of hostility
As public debate becomes increasingly polarised, many civil society organisations are finding themselves the target of criticism, misinformation and organised attacks.
Agenda co-director Becky Slack explored how organisations can protect their legitimacy and influence in this environment through values-driven communications and narrative resilience.
Drawing on research into public attitudes and media framing, she argued that organisations need to pay attention not only to what they say, but also to the wider narratives shaping how people interpret their work.
Her session was followed by a case study from Medical Aid for Palestinians’ head of communications, Max Slaughter, who shared how the organisation navigated an increasingly complex and hostile communications environment while continuing to advocate for access to healthcare and humanitarian support.
Participants then explored practical approaches for responding to criticism, building trust and maintaining credibility in their own organisations without becoming trapped in opponents’ framing.
From power over to power together
The final session challenged participants to think not only about the power they build externally, but also about how power operates within their own organisations.
Emily Wilson-Smith, a leadership consultant and founder of Irise International, explored the principles of collective leadership and power sharing, arguing that many of today’s challenges require a different approach to leadership.
Drawing on her experience building international movements for menstrual health and justice, she shared examples of how organisations can move from top-down decision-making towards more participatory and collaborative approaches.
Through practical exercises and reflection, participants considered how leadership, governance and decision-making can either concentrate power or help distribute it more widely.
Her session offered a powerful reminder that if organisations want to create a more democratic and inclusive society, they must also think about how those values are reflected in their own structures and cultures.
Looking ahead
Throughout the day, participants explored difficult questions about power, legitimacy, trust and influence. They discussed the challenges posed by rising political polarisation, fragmented media environments, economic uncertainty and growing pressure on civil society organisations.
But they also shared examples of success. Examples of communities organising, of campaigns winning, of unlikely alliances forming, of people with lived experience changing public conversations and of organisations finding new ways to build power together.
The conclusion was simple but powerful: whether we are trying to change public attitudes, influence decision-makers, strengthen communities or build movements, lasting change depends on our ability to build relationships, share power and bring people together around a common purpose.
That is how hearts and minds change. And ultimately, that is how power grows.
