Towards non-sexist communication: more than 300 people from Italy, France, and Spain take part in the Narr(Act)ive project to deconstruct and decolonize the narratives we live with

–Nearly 40 communication professionals trained in Italy, France, and Spain to build non-sexist, non-racist, and non-violent communication

-The project leaves behind a toolkit to rethink communication from an equality perspective

-Over 300 people participate in dissemination events in Italy, Spain, and France

Narr(Act)ive | Final event in Bologna, Italy

The European project Narr(ACT)ive has come to an end with its final event held in Bologna (Italy), where the main achievements of this initiative — led by CEFA (Italy) together with Jovesólides (Spain) and Quartiers du Monde (France), and supported by the European Union — were presented.

In recent months, Narr(ACT)ive has worked to deconstruct traditional narratives from a feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial perspective. Through training, communication campaign creation, and the development of practical tools, the project has sought to promote transformative, non-violent, and inclusive communication.

Training, action, and dissemination to change the narrative

Among the main actions developed was the creation of the manual in English Deconstruct and Decolonize Narratives for Gender Equality, a practical guide aimed at communication and education professionals to promote more equitable narratives.

The project included a training of trainers held in Paris, attended by 9 participants (three per partner organization), as well as local workshops and a narrathon in each country: Italy, France, and Spain. In total, 27 people — many of them of migrant origin and linked to the communication field — were trained in how to craft messages from an ethical and transformative perspective.

These trainings culminated in communication campaigns developed by the participant groups themselves. In Spain, the city of Elche was the setting for a disruptive campaign focused on psychological violence and stereotypes affecting diverse women. The slogan “Is it ok?” invited reflection on normalized messages in our society and their impact on women’s mental health.

Transformative narratives: Jovesólides presents project results at local event in Valencia

Narr(ACT)ive | Dissemination event in Valencia

In Spain, the Narr(ACT)ive project concluded with a dissemination event in Valencia, bringing together part of the Jovesólides team and some of the women trained during the workshops held in the country. It was a day of reflection and dialogue around the transformative power of communication, where the learnings of the training process were shared and the project results presented to local audiences, social organizations, and people linked to the communication sector.

The Narr(ACT)ive project has had a significant impact throughout its development, training nearly 40 communication professionals across three countries — many of migrant origin — thus strengthening diversity in the sector.

The project’s final event, held in Bologna under the title Cose del Genere, served as both the closing act of Narr(ACT)ive and a space to publicly present its key results. The event, enriching and marked by shared reflections on communication, gender, and inclusive narratives, featured expert voices such as Irene Facheris, Flavia Carlini, Serena Bersani, and Massimo Marini, as well as project representatives Audrey Serranou and Lucía Sanfeliu. The gathering highlighted the need to rethink language and representation through a collective, critical, and transformative lens. Attended by over 150 people, the event was part of Bologna Estate 2025, the cultural program promoted by the City and Metropolitan Area of Bologna. The event powerfully concluded a shared process of learning, empowerment, and building more equitable narratives.

The dissemination events in Spain, France, and Italy brought together over 300 people, creating spaces for dialogue and reflection on inclusive and transformative communication. Additionally, the transnational project reached an estimated audience of over 50,000 views and interactions across social media and media outlets, helping to raise awareness and challenge gender, racial, and colonial stereotypes in communication. These results reflect the project’s capacity to promote real and lasting change in social narratives.

Narr(ACT)ive is a project by CEFA ONLUS (Italy), Quartiers du Monde (France), and Jovesólides (Spain) funded by the European Union. Follow the latest updates and actions of the project via the hashtag #NarrACTive on social media and on the project website.