What is Making Noise?
Can storytelling do more than raise awareness?
What if the process behind creating a story is just as important as the story itself?
Making Noise emerged from six years of research and practice exploring how storytelling can support disability inclusion through sport. Rooted in Communication for Social Change, it sees storytelling not as a one-way message, but as a collaborative process of listening, co-creating, experimenting and learning alongside athletes, creators and communities. Over time, that process revealed something more. Stories don’t just raise awareness—they can build relationships, uncover barriers and help strengthen the systems that make participation possible.
From Story to participation
Built through research. Shaped by practice.
Making Noise evolved through the Para Sport Against Stigma programme, delivered in partnership with athletes, disability organisations, broadcasters, researchers and communities across Southern Africa. Supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) and Loughborough University, each project became an opportunity to listen, adapt and learn.
Early phase, Visibility only-storytelling
Focus on raising awareness through athlete profiles and awareness campaigns. High engagement, limited structural impact.
Current phase, Systemic change and co-creation
Integrating community led design, policy advocacy and resource mobilization for sustainable inclusive sport ecosystem.
Insights & Signals
What this work does
Empowers Grassroots leaders
Providing tools and platforms for local champions to drive change.
Shape Inclusive Policy
Influencing national and regional frameworks for accessible sport.
Builds Sustainable Ecosystems
Fostering lasting partnerships and infrastructure for participation.
Making Noise Approach
Making Noise is not a fixed campaign or communications model. It is an iterative process that adapts to each context, placing local voices, collaboration and continuous learning at the centre of storytelling.
01
Listen
Understanding local contexts, relationships and lived experiences.
02
Co-creation
Developing stories alongside athletes, creators & communities.
03
Experiment
Testing different storytelling approaches in real-world settings
04
Learn
Reflecting together and using those insights to shape what comes next.
From approach to practice
Making Noise is the approach. StoryLab is the platform that puts it into practice.
StoryLab brings the Making Noise approach to life by creating, sharing and preserving stories that connect athletes, creators, communities and partners across Africa. Through collaborative storytelling, audience development and a growing StoryBank, it provides a space to test ideas, generate learning and build a lasting archive of disability sport.