Nordic/Baltic Storytelling Meeting

Nordic/Baltic Storytelling network to be established by Nordic Storytelling Centre in Skellefteå, Sweden thanks to funding from Nordic Culture Point in Helsinki.

Nordic Culture Point in Helsinki, Finland has granted Nordiskt Berättarcentrum in Skellefteå, Sweden Euro 20,000 for the initiation of a Nordic/Baltic Storytelling Network. ”Our aim to become a resource centre and a hot spot for storytelling in the Nordic and Baltic region can now be acheived” says Robert Herrala, Head of the Storytelling Centre.

The idea is to enhance and further develop the field of storytelling in a network with representatives from all the Nordic and Baltic countries, says Robert Herrala. Our goal is to create longterm relationships with mutual activities during the years 2021-2023.
– The plan is to initially invite around twenty organisations from the Nordic and Baltic region to Skellefteå during autumn 2020. There are many already existing ideas in the network and we want to create a development plan with new collaborations. In attachement to FEST 2021, the annual European Storytelling Conference which next year takes place in Svendborg, Denmark we’re planning for a specific Nordic/Baltic Storytelling Meeting to be arranged.

Take on the role of Nordic/Baltic resource centre for storytelling
This is a natural step to take for the organisation Nordiskt Berättarcentrum in Skellefteå which has now been operating since January 2018.
– We have created a locally and regionally established organisation during two years and today we’re in a position where we can move forward towards becoming a resource centre and a meeting place also for the Nordic/Baltic Storytelling community. The cultural development of Skellefteå, with next years opening of SARA – the new culture house, makes things all the more exciting. I’s a dream come true for us to be able to invite our Nordic/Baltic colleagues to this fantastic new venue.

A wide network
The list of potential partners in the new network is long, says Robert Herrala.
– Networking is about organisation and development of a structure. We are inviting professional storytelling companies, festivals, museums, universities and so on. There are many organisations in the Nordic/Baltic region working with storytelling as a performing art or as an intangible heritage. Storytelling can also be applied in a number of different fields, for example as a pedagogical tool or as a tool for social change.
In our own region Västerbotten we have ongoing collaborations with Västerbottens museum and Umeå university and on a National level we are welcoming Fabula Storytelling in Stockholm and Sagobygden in Småland into the network.

– The new funding from Nordic Culture Point makes it possible to widen our excisting network in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. Now we are able to invite storytelling representatives also from the Baltic countries and from Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, concludes Robert Herrala.

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Nordic/Baltic Storytelling Meeting 2020

Estimated start date: 01.05.2020.
Estimated completion date: 31.01.2021
Financing: Nordic Culture Point – Short-term network funding.
Project purpose: Developing Storytelling as Performing Art/Education/Intangible Heritage and Social Innovation within the Nordic/Baltic Storytelling Movement.

Possible institutions/persons to be part of the network:
Sweden / Nordiskt Berättarcentrum, Skellefteå. Västerbottens museum and Umeå universitet, Umeå. Fabula Storytelling, Stockholm. Sagobygden, Ljungby.
Denmark / FIDA (Fortellerer i Danmark). Words Festival Helsingör. HC Andersen Centret, SDU, Odense.
Norway / Fortellerfestivalen, Fortellerhuset, Fortellercafé, Oslo Metropolitan University
Finland / Berättarcentrum Österbotten, Vasa. Story Sharing Universum, Helsingfors. Samova Fest, Helsingfors. Seaside Stories Festival, Hangö.
Iceland / TBC, (Find and invite a representative for the Icelandic Storytelling field with the help of Nordic House, Reykjavik)
Faroe Islands / TBC, (Find and invite a representative for the Faroese Storytelling field with the help of Nordic House, Torshavn)
Greenland / TBC, (Find and invite a representative for the Greenlandic Storytelling field with the help of The Nordic Institute in Greenland, NAPA, Nuuk)
Lithuania / Virginija Svediene, Senior Librarian, Panevėžys (partner i pågående NKK-projekt)
Estonia / TBC
Latvia / TBC
One representative from ALBA Norden with national organisations in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Possibly one representative from FEST, Federation for European Storytelling situated in Alden-Biesen, Belgium.