Certificate in Public Writing and Digital Storytelling for Development Practice
Master public communication through writing and new media
Introduction
Are you working in the development sector and wish to be an effective communicator? As part of their ongoing work, practitioners working in the social sector engage with different kinds of information and evidence related to the contexts of their interventions, communities, ground realities, intervention strategies, challenges and impact. This information is used in communication addressed to varied audiences within the organisation and externally. While organisations are engaged in writing donor reports and annual reports, their ability to communicate their work to a larger public is limited. Skills in development communication are also critical to better understand and leverage the changing media landscape in the context of digital and new media.
This certificate programme is designed to build competencies of effective public communication with a focus on understanding the principles of good written and multimedia formats, and the varied contexts in which they can be used for advocacy. It aims to enable practitioners to undertake systematic approaches to communicate information to build evidence, organise campaigns, and direct advocacy.
Key Features
- Understanding emergent new media and its applications in the social sector.
- Developing skills in public writing for effective communication and advocacy.
- Looking at specific formats of public writing for advocacy, including feature articles, opinion pieces and solution focused narratives — the courses in this programme will also allow participants to learn how multimedia platforms can be leveraged for better communication strategies.
- Offering a blended mode — 6 days in-person, followed by 12 Saturday online sessions. The in-person sessions will be held midway through the certificate programme, after 20 hours of online classes. The in-person sessions will build on the theoretical knowledge of the earlier sessions and also acquaint the participants with tools and techniques for communication.
Who will benefit from the programme?
Professionals with a minimum two years of work experience from social sector organisations, social movements, thematic action networks, advocacy groups, researchers, development media, CSRs and social sector consultants.
This is an 8‑credit Certificate Programme comprising two courses of 3 credits each and an additional 2 credits to factor in the work experience of the participants.
Course 1 – Public writing for social action
This course will delve into the aspect of storytelling in development action, why it is essential and how the basic principles of communication can be used to enhance it. Participants will be introduced to a couple of specific forms of media writing for effective advocacy – solution focused features articles based on case stories and opinion pieces. The course will look at information gathering, sorting, analysing and writing in a systematic manner, helping participants write different types of articles.
Skills learnt:
- Understand popular formats of writing in public domain
- How to effectively and ethically integrate testimonials, interviews, data, in public writing
- Demonstrate skills of writing a solutions story
Course 2 - Communication using new media technologies
This course will mainly introduce the participants to the landscapes of new media technologies and digital platforms and their applications in the social sector. It will be done through critical analysis of some case studies of popular social media campaigns, both by state and non-governmental organisations. The course will include skill building exercises in the classrooms where hands-on training will be given on how to use social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter and other multimedia formats like short videos and podcasts to disseminate social sector information.
This course will also focus on the advocacy campaign done through new media and how effective communication strategies can be used to understand the audience and frame the message for different kinds of audiences.
Skills learnt:
- Learn how to use social media apps to disseminate social sector information.
- Critically understand and learn from social media campaigns by Govt and NGOs
- Understand how multimedia platforms can be leveraged for better communication strategies
Timeline
Last date to apply: 02 Jan 2026
Selection of participants: 11 – 20 Jan 2026
Commencement Classes: 31 Jan 2026 (online)
In-person sessions: 16 to 21 March 2026
Online sessions (on Saturdays): 31 Jan to 7 March 2026 & 28 March to 2 May 2026
Eligibility criteria
Work experience in the social sector — completion of 24 months as of December 2025. The participants also need to have an undergraduate degree and working knowledge of English.