Our stories tell us who we are, where we come from, our connection to one another, and to the land.
The ethos of the Scottish storytelling family, defined by its spirit of generosity and openness, is instilled with the belief that stories, above all, are gifts to be freely given and passed on: with this goes the consciousness of the great gratitude for the precious legacy of songs and stories left to us in a carrying stream of Scottish lore and traditions of other cultures that have migrated.
In the deepest sense, these stories, ballads and songs speak to the heart and are an education for living. In gathering and forging new stories, we should honour the conviction that we are passing on precious gifts and our art is to make them as beautiful as possible, sharing and fashioning them carefully for our listeners.
Above all, our art is inclusive: everyone shares and contributes in storytelling. Humans are storytelling beings; our stories are cultural expressions of the enormous diversity of humanity, whilst simultaneously being the thread connecting us.
Objectives
- Promote connectivity and cooperation in the storytelling community
- Develop effective support structures for storytelling
- Widen access to, and participation in, storytelling
- Support and nurture storytelling and illustrate its value in education, heritage, environment, health and wellbeing
- Celebrate storytelling from the hearth-side to the international stage
Role
The Forum itself does not function as an agency but encourages offers of programmes and workshops. Its role is to advocate, advise and develop, so supporting the key delivery agencies, including Creative Scotland and other public funders, TRACS and the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
Programmes
- Learning through peer support, workshops and mentoring
- Communications
- Development events
- Outreach work
- Performance platforms