- - - “This is possibly the best course I have ever taken, and as a mid-career young professional, I have attended many courses, events and workshops.” - Lorraine Lui, United Kingdom - - - “The ‘Stories for Life’ course at The ASHA Centre has dramatically changed my perspective on Erasmus+ programmes and its mission. I was completely blown away by the professionalism and sensitivity with which the course was created and held.“ - Tatiana Alexandrova, Sweden - - - This project’s main objective was to mine the wisdom of storytelling, reimagining and reinvigorating its practice to create tools that empower youth workers. This project took as its premise the possibility for true intercultural dialogue through storytelling - folktale, myth and fairytale - able to be a crucial currency for communicating values, inviting participation and providing frameworks that foster belonging in communities struggling to find place and purpose. Our objectives were to create a project that: 1. Tackled the issue of youth unemployment by using storytelling to enhance communication, presentation skills, creative leadership, personal presence, project management skills and foreign language competencies. 2. Promoted intercultural awareness through exploring cultural heritage to increase a young person’s sense of cultural capital and promote cultural identity, and fostered meaningful exchange of values and greater intercultural understanding. 3. Tackled radicalisation by sharing stories that connect people to themselves, their community and the land where they live. 4. Fostered inclusion through art by promoting the values of peace and cooperation that underpin European culture, helping a new generation of youth workers develop these values through creative activities and non-formal education. 5. Equipped youth workers with a learner-centred toolbox and useful skills within non-formal educational practices and holistic learning frameworks. 6. Supported a programme of creative dissemination activities, laying the foundations for future collaborations in the field of youth self-development. We desired to equip participants with new knowledge about the power of storytelling and with practical experience of ‘self’, ‘other’ and the natural, animate world. We intended for participants to leave with an increased aptitude for, and attitude to, empowered leadership, a listening heart and the qualities of active citizenship. We expected they would leave equipped with the skills to lead intercultural storytelling practice, with artistic forms for powerful expression; that they are stimulated in active personal participation, project design, development and delivery and furnished with a functional and dynamic toolkit. We wanted the language of intercultural storytelling to become common parlance in youth work and for these practices to receive attention both at the grassroots and policy-making level, recognised as the valuable, practical youth worker tools that they are. The context for the project was two major issues facing young Europeans today: high unemployment and radicalised intolerance, and the essential premise was to use storytelling practice to promote intercultural dialogue. In a two-pronged approach, we intended to support the participants in developing their communication, personal impact and leadership skills, enhancing employability while asking them to invest in the cultural capital of their own communities and those of others. In engaging with old stories of our cultures, we uncover common stories, common value systems and shared heritage - the collective consciousness that unites us and fosters empathy. The nature of the storytelling meant these objectives could be reached through play, creativity, using the imagination and creating communal experiences that boost personal growth and collective identity. The goal was to equip a new generation of youth workers with the knowledge and tools to support young people in their home communities and to become confident leaders. It was a plan for empowerment, whose purpose was to guide young people into a confident, effective maturity capable of meeting the challenges they face, triggering positive change and promoting a cohesive Europe. We intended for participants to learn the core structural components of stories, how to shape, deliver and apply their wisdom, research diverse cultures and engage in empathetic listening, collaboration and project delivery. We wanted our participants to develop intellectually, emotionally and practically. The ultimate goal of the project was to empower youth workers to create projects in their home countries, inspired with ideas and equipped with tools to initiate their own workshops and courses. Our vision was that - through a ripple effect - storytelling tools for confident leadership and cohesive communities would be practised all around Europe.