Whose Stories Get Heard? From Story to System: Building a Future that Hears Us All

In every system—education, media, philanthropy, business—the stories we choose to center shape the policies we fund, the movements we back, and the futures we build.
This interactive session will make the case that narrative equity is a systems change strategy—and one that belongs in the toolkits of funders, investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders across every sector.
At the heart of this conversation is 826 National, the largest youth writing network in the country, founded by author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari. Working with more than 750,000 young people nationwide, 826 poses a radical question: Who gets to learn to write in America—and who doesn’t? The answer shapes not only individual opportunity, but the health of our communities, our economy, and our democracy.
Participants will hear from 826 National CEO Laura Brief and a youth storyteller and co-facilitator, then engage in collaborative exercises that explore how narrative power can drive economic inclusion, civic trust, and systems innovation.
This is not a session about “supporting youth.” It’s about unlocking overlooked intelligence and leadership, and rethinking who gets to shape our collective future. Whether you’re deploying capital, designing programs, or shifting culture, this session will surface new strategies for embedding unheard voices into the work of impact.
Drawing on over two decades of work at the intersection of education, equity, and voice, this session will show how centering historically unheard stories leads to smarter investments, stronger systems, and more inclusive progress.