Communilab is a communications agency focused on widening participation in civic life.

Your story is the heart of everything we do.

We believe stories are essential learning technology for developing shared visions of the future and the commitment to meaningful change needed to create them.

Every organisation and community has powerful stories waiting to be told.

We help you understand where you are now and imagine where you might go next through storytelling, strategy, and community.

We believe that when we know and communicate our own stories well, we gain the power to write our futures, and when more people have that power, those futures are stronger, more sustainable and better.

Who We Are

As a Community Interest Company, we lock-in profits to benefit our communities by working with for-profit organisations and well-resourced nonprofits to subsidise our work with grassroots groups and under-resourced communities.

For-profit organisations and well-resourced nonprofits gain services without the cost and commitment of employees while knowing their money is serving their needs and serving others too.

Grassroots groups and under-resources communities gain services at a much reduced cost widening the voices participating in civic life.

We help organisations create clarity of vision, build robust strategies, and communicate their work powerfully through story, whether in grant applications, communications, or community engagement, so they can deliver, measure and communicate their impact.

We help communities harness their own stories to shape their futures. Through workshops, events, and creative activities, we create spaces where diverse voices can be heard. We gather untold stories, explore how participatory approaches and technologies can widen involvement in civic decision-making, and build collective visions of the better world we all want to create.

Our Services

  • Vision workshops We’ll facilitate sessions to help you gain clarity on your purpose and direction

    Theory of change and logic model development for impact We’ll help you develop, measure and articulate your strategy for creating change

    Communications strategy We’ll work with you to develop clear plans to reach your audiences and build support

    Ongoing communications support Practical support with the work of communications: press releases, social media content, materials and other tactical support

    Grant writing We’ll write compelling funding proposals that tell your story and demonstrate impact

  • Story training Workshops for staff and beneficiaries to help them communicate your organisation’s story authentically

    Stakeholder engagement and management We’ll help you build and maintain meaningful relationships with funders, partners, and communities

    Community engagement facilitation We’ll design and run sessions that bring diverse voices into your planning

  • Community story research & publication We'll spend time in your community, gather stories through interviews and engagement, and produce written, audio or video content that captures lived experience

    Documentary content production Commission us to create films, podcasts, photo essays or written pieces about specific communities or issues

  • Speculative futures workshops Using arts, play and futuring processes to envision possible futures for your community or organisation

    Participation lab Exploring, developing, testing and deploying innovative engagement methods and participatory technologies for widening civic participation

  • Speculative art and literature journal – Submit work exploring imagined futures worlds to Andromeda Scifibuns

Meet our Founder, Faith

Faith Stanhope FRSA, MCIPR is a communications specialist with more than 15 years’ experience bridging community development, participatory research, and strategic storytelling.

Her career spans regional coordination of a national anti-stigma campaign (Time to Change), community engagement within a multi-million-pound neighbourhood renewal programme, and building community capacity in voluntary sector infrastructure organisations and education.

She has delivered innovative participation strategies including unconferences and participatory media projects; and founded an educational charity, SPACE, which helps strengthen the ability of individuals to be active, positive citizens by connecting them with their sense of purpose.

She loves learning new things and connecting knowledge for positive impact. Her studies have included sociolinguistics, non-profit management, transmedia storytelling, innovation management, and participatory research methodologies.

The Team

Faith uses her experience in communications, participatory arts and community development to choose the best mix from a network of experienced collaborators, bringing in the right expertise for each project.

If you share our vision, have experience that will fit and would like to be considered for future projects, drop us an email briefly telling us the story of the dream project you would look to complete with us, and how that relates to your journey so far.

Contact Us

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!