Kehitystarinaa

Kehitystarinaa is a Finnish term that describes the practice of communicating development efforts as a narrative. It refers to presenting processes of growth, change, or learning in a structured story that connects context, aims, actions, and outcomes. The concept is used across fields such as education, public administration, nonprofit work, and corporate communication to make complex development work easier to understand and share.

A development narrative typically includes several elements. It sets the scene with the context and motivations behind the work, identifies the key actors or stakeholders, outlines goals or desired changes, and describes the actions taken and the timeline of events. It highlights turning points, challenges encountered, and lessons learned, and it concludes with outcomes, impacts, and follow‑up steps. The aim is to provide a coherent, credible account that helps audiences grasp what happened and why it matters.

Kehitystarinaa is used to communicate progress to diverse audiences, including funders, policymakers, participants, and the public. It can appear in project reports, annual reviews, fundraising materials, and educational programs. While it can support transparency and accountability, it also requires careful attention to accuracy, balance, and representation of multiple perspectives to avoid oversimplification or selective storytelling.

See also: storytelling, development communication, impact reporting.