How organisations are reimagining identity, belonging and power through cultural narrative and storytelling

Tank has launched its latest Insights Report — Cultural & Community Storytelling, offering a fresh perspective on how storytelling is shaping inclusion, leadership and belonging across Australia.

Drawing from years of on-the-ground collaboration with First Nations, multicultural, CALD and community-led organisations, the report examines how cultural storytelling is being reclaimed as a practice of power. One that enables communities to redefine whose stories are told, and how.

The report centres three interwoven insights:

• Belonging as Strategy – exploring how belonging has become a strategic imperative, directly influencing trust, engagement and wellbeing.

• Narrative Sovereignty – examining the shift from extractive storytelling to community authorship, where cultural knowledge holders shape and own their narratives.

• Community Intelligence – reframing consultation as listening, where lived and living knowledge guides systems change.

“Storytelling has always been a mirror. It reveals how power, trust and belonging flow through an organisation or community. This report is an invitation to leaders to listen differently." (Dimitri Antonopoulos)

Co-authored by Karina Dea, Marita Davies, and Dimitri Antonopoulos, the report draws on Tank’s practice with partners including Traditional Owners in the Tiwi Islands, CALD communities, and impact-led institutions nationwide.

“When communities lead their own storytelling it protects culture and deepens understanding. Cultural storytelling isn’t decorative — it’s a way of remembering, and a way of leading.” (Marita Davies)

Through practical questions, implications and examples, the report offers pathways for organisations to embed belonging, strengthen narrative integrity, and listen with intention.

Attendees at our Open Dialogue: Cultural & Community Storytelling session received an advance copy. To receive priority invitations to future sessions and early access to upcoming reports, subscribe to The Tank Quarterly.