Who Gets to Tell the Story of the Future? Girl Rising and HP Foundation Launch ‘Unmuted’ for a New Generation
29 Oct 2026
Through a global storytelling challenge, Girl Rising and the HP Foundation are inviting young people to explore identity, imagination, social change and the future of work. Unmuted brings questions of personal expression, creative freedom and youth agency into focus at a time of rapid technological transformation.
Who gets to decide which stories matter? Whose experiences become part of public memory, and whose perspectives are missing from conversations about the future?
These questions sit at the centre of Unmuted, a new global storytelling challenge launched by Girl Rising and the HP Foundation on 26 October 2026.
Open to young people aged 14–25, the initiative invites participants to communicate their lived experiences, dreams and ideas through writing, film, photography, drawing, animation, spoken word and other creative forms.
At a time when artificial intelligence, digital technologies, climate change and economic uncertainty are reshaping everyday life, Unmuted asks young people to express how they understand the world and what they would like to change.
The initiative also marks ten years of collaboration between Girl Rising and the HP Foundation, combining creative expression with opportunities for mentorship and digital skills development.
Storytelling as an Expression of Identity
Stories shape how people understand themselves and how they are perceived by others.
Personal narratives communicate experiences that may not be fully represented by statistics, institutional reports or conventional descriptions of social conditions.
For young people, storytelling can also provide an opportunity to examine identity, belonging and relationships with their communities.
Unmuted encourages participants to reflect on these themes through prompts including “Someone the world should know,” “A moment I surprised myself,” and “A rule I would rewrite.”
Each question invites a different form of reflection.
A story about someone important may reveal the influence of family, friendship or community. A personal achievement may involve changing perceptions of one's abilities. A proposed rule change can express disagreement with an existing social norm or institution.
These narratives may be highly personal, but they can also open conversations about shared experiences.
Nidhi Shukla, Co-CEO of Girl Rising, described the initiative as an opportunity for young people to share their own perspectives:
They see life differently, they see themselves differently, and so do the people around them.
This relationship between personal expression and social understanding provides one of the initiative's central themes.
Why Listening to Young People Matters
Young people frequently encounter decisions about education, employment, technology and public policy before they have substantial influence over how those decisions are made.
Unmuted is based on the idea that younger generations should be able to participate in conversations about their future rather than simply observe them.
Participants are encouraged to consider questions about the future of work, changing technologies and the kind of society they want to inhabit.
These topics are particularly relevant as artificial intelligence changes how information is produced, how people communicate and which skills may be valuable in future labour markets.
However, the initiative does not require participants to focus exclusively on technology or global challenges.
An ordinary personal experience, a local concern or a story about family and friendship can be equally important.
The freedom to select both the subject and the medium allows participants to define what they consider meaningful.
For cultural institutions and educators, the challenge offers a reminder that young people's experiences cannot always be understood through established categories or expectations.
The Relationship Between Creativity, Technology and Human Agency
The development of generative AI has introduced new questions about authorship and creative expression.
Digital tools can now generate images, video, text and audio from relatively simple instructions.
These capabilities may expand access to creative production, but they also raise questions about originality and how technology influences personal expression.
Unmuted takes place within this changing environment.
Its official guidelines encourage original ideas and require transparency when AI tools have been used. Under the programme's AI category, such tools are permitted only in an assistive capacity.
This requirement reflects the initiative's focus on the participant's own story, rather than treating technology-generated content as a substitute for personal perspective.
For young creators, digital technology can be a means of communication. A smartphone can become a filmmaking device, an online platform can distribute poetry, and accessible editing software can help develop an idea into a completed work.
Yet the significance of the story still depends on the person choosing what to communicate.
The relationship between technology and creativity is therefore not simply about what machines can produce, but how people use available tools to express experiences and intentions.
From Individual Stories to Collective Memory
Unmuted also explores how individual narratives can become part of a wider cultural record.
Selected participants will have the opportunity to develop their stories for a documentary produced in collaboration with Yoruba Saxon, the production company founded by actor and filmmaker David Oyelowo.
Up to 20 participants may receive opportunities to develop their stories further and be considered for inclusion in the film.
The project aims to connect experiences from different cultures and communities, creating a collective portrait of how young people understand themselves and their futures.
Oyelowo has described storytelling as a process through which people can question existing assumptions and imagine change.
A documentary built around first-person experiences can provide audiences with perspectives that differ from conventional media narratives.
However, the final form of the project will depend on editorial selection, production decisions and the participation of the young storytellers themselves.
The initiative's broader significance lies in the opportunity for emerging creators to contribute their own accounts to a shared cultural conversation.
Freida Pinto, David Oyelowo and Nabila Aguele Join the Initiative
The Unmuted judging process will bring together a youth council and established figures from film, education and social advocacy.
The announced panel includes actor and producer Freida Pinto, actor and filmmaker David Oyelowo and Malala Fund CEO Nabila Aguele.
Pinto, who is also a Girl Rising ambassador, has emphasised the importance of giving young people freedom to question established ideas and imagine different futures.
Aguele has highlighted the role of young people's perspectives in creating change within communities and societies.
Their involvement connects the initiative with wider conversations about gender equality, educational opportunity and cultural representation.
Entries will be reviewed during February and March 2027, with selected stories receiving opportunities for recognition and further development.
The Story Lab and the Development of Creative Confidence
In addition to the challenge, Girl Rising will introduce its first Story Lab in 2027.
The programme will select up to 15 participants for a three-month virtual experience involving mentorship from professionals in the media and technology sectors.
Participants will have opportunities to develop their creative skills and explore how stories can be communicated to wider audiences.
Technology resources may be provided when needed to support participation.
The programme connects storytelling with practical learning, allowing selected creators to explore the processes involved in developing and presenting their work.
For young people who have not had access to formal creative training, mentorship can provide exposure to professional practices and new possibilities.
However, the ultimate value of such programmes cannot be measured exclusively through public recognition or professional outcomes.
Creative participation can also offer opportunities for reflection, experimentation and communication.
A Decade of Storytelling and Education
Unmuted marks ten years of partnership between Girl Rising and the HP Foundation.
The organisations report that their collaboration has supported more than 28 million young people across India through activities focused on confidence and digital skills.
The initiative also builds on the My Story challenge introduced in 2020, which received more than 800 submissions from over 50 countries.
Girl Rising's work places storytelling alongside education and mentorship as a means of expanding opportunities for young people.
Its origins include the organisation's 2013 film, which brought international attention to girls' education and the experiences of young people confronting social barriers.
The HP Foundation contributes through its focus on digital skills, technological access and economic opportunity.
Unmuted expands this partnership by giving participants greater choice over how they communicate their own experiences.
What Does the Next Generation Want the World to Understand?
The significance of Unmuted lies partly in the questions it asks.
Rather than presenting young people with a predefined vision of progress, the initiative invites them to describe what progress might mean from their perspective.
For one participant, it may involve access to education. For another, it may concern climate change, employment, family relationships or cultural identity.
Others may focus on how technology is changing their communities and how they want those changes to unfold.
These different experiences cannot be reduced to a single account of youth aspirations.
By welcoming stories in any language and multiple creative formats, Unmuted recognises that people communicate meaning in different ways.
The challenge remains a creative initiative rather than a formal mechanism for political or institutional decision-making. Its success will depend in part on how selected stories are represented, how participants are supported and whether audiences engage with the perspectives presented.
Nevertheless, it offers an opportunity to consider an important question about cultural participation: who has the opportunity to describe the world, and who is invited to imagine what comes next?
For a generation growing up amid technological, environmental and social change, the ability to express an independent perspective may be as important as access to the tools used to communicate it.
Unmuted submissions remain open until 15 January 2027.
- Official website: https://www.girlrising.org/unmuted
- Submission platform: https://unmuted.girlrising.org/
Sources
- Girl Rising, Unmuted — Official Programme Website.
https://www.girlrising.org/unmuted - Girl Rising, Girl Rising and the HP Foundation Launch Unmuted, 26 October 2026.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/girl-rising-and-the-hp-foundation-launch-unmuted-a-global-storytelling-challenge-bringing-young-peoples-voices-to-the-world-stage-302919336.html - Girl Rising, Official Organisation Website.
https://www.girlrising.org/
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Sara Srifi
Sara is a Software Engineering and Business student with a passion for astronomy, cultural studies, and human-centered storytelling. She explores the quiet intersections between science, identity, and imagination, reflecting on how space, art, and society shape the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. Her writing draws on curiosity and lived experience to bridge disciplines and spark dialogue across cultures.
