Society for Storytelling

This Year

Many thanks to those who have already sent me records of attendance at their activities during National Storytelling Week 2008. 

Please can everyone who did anything, whether public or not, during National Storytelling week please send me information on how many people attended the event.  I am trying to get a statistic on the total audience size for NSW so I hope you can all take a couple of seconds to send me the figure(s).

During National Storytelling Week 2007 over 1,040 nationwide storytelling events and performances were organised, including The V & A, North Tyneside Disability Forum and Lakeside Shopping Centre and Rockingham Castle, Leics., Storytelling Clubs, smaller individual events and over 780 schools.

We know that Storytelling stretches from its simplest application in the nursery right through to personal stories and bereavement aids in hospitals, strengthening communication in the business sphere, and as an aid to learning in education. Storytelling is not just for the young but for all ages who share the creations of thought and the creativity of imagination.

We encourage participation from all areas of the community:

* Why not invite the older members of the community into local schools to hear their stories,
* Bring different ethnic communities together for a storytelling,
* Encourage special needs groups to get involved with telling stories - all this brings harmony and self esteem to those who get involved.
* Bring friends together and have a storytelling afternoon or evening - and really get to know them!!

As an example of the reach of storytelling, over the past decade, the Prison service through its Librarians and the professional storytellers it employs, have used National Storytelling Week to spotlight the on-going work of inmate training in communication skills.

Storytellers have also enabled inmates to creatively share time with the younger members of their family in a programme of creative story development and recording. 2007 saw several of HM Prisons staging more high profile workshops in this field, so as to encourage greater participation. It is our hope that in the coming year they will increase further this rewarding involvement.

We know that Storytelling stretches from its simplest application in the nursery right through to personal stories and bereavement aids in hospitals, strengthening communication in the business sphere, and as an aid to learning in education. Storytelling is not just for the young but for all ages who share the creations of thought and the creativity of imagination.

So join us! For the word is out and there is a store of stories to be told!