The Glitter Meetup (GM), a weekly town hall of the digital rights and Internet Freedom communities attracting individuals from all over the world, is inviting community members, activists, and digital rights enthusiasts globally to the July 31, 2025 edition of its townhall which will spotlight how storytelling can challenge power, shift perspectives, and protect digital rights.
The townhall will be a powerful conversation titled “The Power and Relevance of Humanising Tech and Digital Rights Through Storytelling,” taking place at 9:00 AM EDT/1:00 PM UTC on the TCU Mattermost “IF Square” Channel.
The Glitter Meetup is a text-based chat on the Mattermost platform where digital rights defenders can share regional and project updates, expertise, ask questions, and connect with others from all over the world. The townhalls regularly feature guest experts whom participants can question directly. However, GMs are also a great opportunity to connect with digital rights defenders from around the world.
The session will be facilitated by Mardiya and will feature Vinayak Rajesekhar, a storyteller and communications consultant who collaborates with global non-profits and social enterprises at the intersection of human rights, technology, and social change.
Vinayak, who uses visual media and storytelling as a way to amplify community voices and grassroots efforts aimed at building better societies worldwide, will be addressing a number of questions including: Why the prevailing environment of covering and discussing tech issues and their impact on communities is problematic and/or concerning; How can storytelling be an effective antidote or catalyst for change; What are the anticipated pitfalls of storytelling that can/must be addressed when covering the human impact of tech and digital rights; and how NGOs, non-profits, and social enterprises working on tech and digital rights can integrate storytelling in their communication workflows.
Interested participants can apply to join the TCU Mattermost by following the directions here. Visit this link https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=July_31_2025_GM for more information on the event.
