Marty's Notebook
Hi all,
Across many of the networks we work with, we are seeing the same underlying strain. People are still committed. The issues still matter. But shared understanding is thinning, trust is harder to sustain, and acting together feels more difficult than it used to.
At Netcentric Campaigns, we have been naming this breakdown as civic pollution, a term we use to describe the accumulation of forces that erode trust, weaken shared reality, and make it harder for people to act together. Disinformation, shrinking civic spaces, institutional strain, and systems that reward division all contribute to this condition.
One of the clearest effects of civic pollution is the loss of shared footing. People may still share goals, but they no longer recognize themselves in one another’s experiences. Without that recognition, alignment becomes fragile and coordination grows harder.
This is where common stories matter.
A common story is not a communications tactic. It is network infrastructure. It helps people locate themselves in a collective effort, build shared language, and develop trust long before they debate strategy or solutions. When networks lack common stories, even well-designed plans can struggle to hold.
We have only just begun to explore civic pollution, and naming the problem is only the first step. The next phase of this work is about repair. How do we strengthen the conditions that allow shared meaning to form again? How do networks rebuild the connective tissue that makes collaboration durable?
Shared story is one important element of that work, but it is not the only one. In the months ahead, we will be engaging more deeply with network leaders, practitioners, and partners to surface what is already working, test new approaches, and begin coalescing around practical ways to push back against civic fragmentation.
We are moving from sounding the alarm to inviting conversation. From diagnosis to collaboration. From asking what is breaking down to asking where we go from here. And we cannot do that alone. If you are grappling with these questions in your own network or community, we want to hear from you. Let’s connect, compare notes, and begin building the conditions for renewal together.
Peace,
Marty Kearns
Deep Dive Insight
Why shared story is becoming essential civic infrastructure
When civic life fragments, networks don't just lose momentum, they lose the shared footing that makes coordination possible in the first place.
In our new blog post, we look at how common stories help people recognize one another, build shared language, and strengthen trust across difference.
We also explore why shared stories can carry multiple elements of a healthy network at once, from social ties to vision, and what happens when those stories stop overlapping.
Read the full article to see how common stories function as civic infrastructure, and how network leaders can begin cultivating shared meaning that strengthens trust, alignment, and collective capacity.
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Featured Resource
Assessing Network Health: A Practical Starting Point
When networks struggle to connect, align, or move together, the most useful first step is often understanding what is actually happening inside the network.
This is where our Network Assessment comes in. We are currently developing a digital version of this resource as an evolving, work-in-progress. It draws on the Seven Elements of Effective Networks and uses a structured set of questions to help leaders see how relationships, trust, communication, and value are functioning in practice.
We are sharing this tool early to hear feedback on what resonates, what is missing, and how it feels to use. If you are interested in taking a look and reacting to what you see, we invite you to explore it and share your thoughts. Just hit reply.
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Answers from the Field
Addressing pressing questions from our networks
Q:
“People in our network really connect in informal moments and side conversations, but that energy often fades once we get back to the work. How do we bridge that gap?”
A:
We hear versions of this a lot when helping networks strengthen collaboration and internal communications, so if it feels familiar, you are not alone.
We were reminded of it recently when we attended the MOLE Conference in Ghana, a long-running event where Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene leaders come together to share evidence, build partnerships, and align on sector priorities. The side conversations were often where trust formed fastest, because people spoke from lived experience and practical lessons, not just roles.
The bridge is not making formal work feel casual. It’s designing the work so those human signals can shape what happens next. Build in short moments for story and reflection, name what you are hearing across participants, and carry that language into the agenda and follow-up. Then translate it into a few clear decisions: what we are solving, what we are learning, and what we are doing together next.
When networks treat informal connection as real data, not a distraction, more of that energy makes it back into the work.
Emerging Trends and Critical Insights
The Gray Areas Where Progress Happens
Across issues like immigration, education, public health, and climate, the loudest narratives tend to pull people to opposing extremes. But those extremes rarely produce durable solutions. They generate heat, then paralysis.
What we need is a forced return to the gray areas: the messy middle where systems overlap, tradeoffs are real, and responsibility is shared.
Gray areas are uncomfortable because they challenge identity stories. They require admitting that problems are complex, and that our opponents are not always pure villains or pure strangers.
But gray areas are also where civic repair begins. People are more willing to engage when their lived experience is acknowledged, even when answers are incomplete. This is where networks matter.
Networks can hold ambiguity long enough for learning and alignment to form, and then they create the trust needed to collaborate without pretending differences do not exist.
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Updates from Our Partner Networks
Driving Change in Communities Around the World
Halt the Harm Network: Rail Safety Support in Action
Earlier this month, Halt the Harm Network hosted a Community Action for Rail Safety session with East Palestine advocate Jess Conard, who introduced the Disaster Averted Rail Watch Service. Jess shared how coordinated monitoring and rapid response help communities document incidents, spot patterns, and move information into campaigns faster.
The Railwatch Service is one of the first offerings through Halt the Harm Network’s new Services Lab, designed to give frontline leaders access to expert help when they need it, so they don't have to do this work alone.
Check out recent news coverage highlighting Jess' work, and click here to learn about additional Services Labs currently offered.
Learn More About The Halt The Harm Network
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WASHDesk in Ahafo, Ghana: Closing the Gap Between Messaging and Lived Reality
WashDesk is working with local leaders in Ghana to advance Open Defecation Free efforts, supporting communities as they address the lack of accessible latrines through locally driven organizing and advocacy.
Recently, WashDesk convened Open Defecation Free campaign calls that created a rare and valuable feedback loop. WashDesk recently held Open Defecation Free campaign calls that created a rare and valuable feedback loop: the communications team heard directly from local leaders about what is happening in the field. The conversation surfaced motivators, barriers, and emotional cues that are easy to miss when strategy is built at a distance.
The result was not just better input. It was shared understanding. Local leaders felt heard, and the communications team gained the context needed to shape creative direction with greater accuracy and resonance.
It is a strong example of what happens when the people doing the work and the people living the work are in real conversation. Stay tuned for more about how this work continues to evolve.
Learn More About the WashDesk Program
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What Are You Learning Right Now?
Network building is shaped by small insights from real work. The magic happens when something clicks, a conversation shifts, or a connection changes what feels possible.
What are you noticing in your network? What is helping people find common ground or work through difference?
Hit reply to share what you are seeing. We read every message and draw on these insights as this work continues.
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