Cultural Awareness and Storytelling

Stories are like shoes

Stories are like shoes: they just keep walking, depending on who puts them on. So stories travel across cultural borders with ease.
But how do they change in the process? What influences were the "story shoes" exposed to during their journey? If you think about this more deeply, you inevitably touch on our history, which includes colonialism as well as the repression of and crimes against indigenous communities, cultural minorities and much more.
To understand these contexts, we can delve into books and do research. But we can also work together across cultures, transcend borders and find new ways/approaches in the here and now.
The current debates show again and again how important it is to be in communication with each other.
With this project, we want to sensibilise for the topic of cultural awareness in storytelling and let different voices of storytellers worldwide be heard. International networks among freelance storytellers are promoted and strengthened, and the public is reached both with the topic of storytelling and with the topic of cultural awareness.

• For this purpose, we are creating a series of interviews that will be permanently available free of charge so that storytellers and interested parties can listen to them at any time.
• - Following the interviews, we will offer workshops for storytellers as part of the project.
• - This crowdfunding is also the basis for a more profound funding that will make a much larger series of interviews (up to twenty contributions instead of five) and a final live event in Munich possible: "Stories&Arts meets Cultural Awareness". We can only apply for these funds after the crowdfunding as secured own funds are necessary, so the project will not start directly after this crowdfunding, but on 1 July 2023.
• - Regardless of further funding, five interviews and all workshop formats will be ensured through this crowdfunding.

Background on storytelling culture

There is a growing global community of professional storytellers. In Europe, this ancient art is currently experiencing a renaissance. Stories are once again travelling from mouth to ear and from ear to mouth - sometimes also from writing to mouth to ear and from ear to mouth to writing ...

Understanding as the key

Stories carry our narrative cultural heritage and are passed on across cultural barriers. They convey values, characteristics and symbols that are not immediately comprehensible everywhere. Developing an understanding for this is like a key that opens up an essential narrative space, which can be accessed and experienced again and again.
If this crowdfunding is successful, we are definetely in for exciting conversations and encounters!

Stories that create momentum/Stories that set impulses/Stories that capture

We storytellers from Europe come across tales that take a different and unfamiliar look at events, nature, animals or community. They broaden the horizon, speak to the heart, resonate and came from all over the world. They strike a chord in ourselves and our gut feeling is: these stories want to be told. Especially in the present time.
But can we do that without newly exploring and reframing the background? Without looking at the history of how these tales came to Europe? Without an intercultural exchange about the journey of the tales?
In the interviews of this crowdfunding, we would like to shed light on these inherent questions, recognise cultural differences as well as similarities, explore our own cultural imprints, build bridges.
We hope to meet from heart to heart and enrich the future with newly unfolded, widely travelled and deeply rooted stories.

Diversity of voices - not a single answer

We would like to contribute to the discussion around cultural awareness, decolonialism and change in society, seeking a diversity of voices - not a single answer. By celebrating diversity, we want to gain perspective on what is essential. We want to share these intercultural encounters with all those who love stories as much as we do.

Event in Munich

We also hope that further funding in 2024 will allow the event "Stories&Arts meets Cultural Awareness" in Munich to take place, to which we will invite some of the interviewees for a joint exchange, lectures, workshops and, of course, storytelling.

Interviews

Our interview partners are:

• International storytellers and storytellers with indigenous backgrounds
• Cultural scientists
• Experts on cultural awareness, decolonialism, racism and related topics.
• Authors of popular and widely told story collections

Community Calls

If you would like to accompany us throughout the interview year, experience our insights and reflections and help shape the project with your own ideas and wishes, you can participate in the quarterly community calls. We look forward to hearing from you!

Workshops

Our workshops for storytellers start when most of the interviews are already online: April and May 2024. We are looking forward to international guest lecturers. The workshops will have different thematic focuses, which we will develop together during the course of the project.
All events are in English. German-language contributions will be translated into English. If we receive funding from the German Federal Cultural Foundation, all events will be bilingual.

THE SCHEDULE

• 15.11.2022 This successful crowdfunding with a strong community enables applications that expand and support the project.
• December 2022 Co-funding from the City of Munich and other funding is applied for.
• Jaunuar 2023 - Federal cultural funding is applied for.
• May 2023 - Jury meets - a decision is made on the application.
• June 2023 - if necessary, we look for further funding
• 1 July 2023 - Start of the project on the scale possible at that time.

Depending on the amount of funding, five to twenty-five articles, interviews, audios, videos and blog posts are produced. We deepen our research, develop contacts, open up networking opportunities, intensify press work and are open to unexpected, inspiring developments.

• 1 July 2023 to 31 June 2024 community calls (see thank-you notes) continuously deepen and enrich the project.
• May 2024 the online seminars begin
• June 2024 attendance workshop in Munich
• 14-16 June 2024 with further funding: Stories&Arts meets Cultural Awareness
• By the end of June 2024, the project will be completed and further ideas, networking between storytellers and associations and everything that wants to emerge from community calls, interviews and workshops will begin!

With your support you show that this topic is important and that a strong community stands behind us!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

This project is aimed at storytellers from all over the world.

And it is also aimed at all listeners, readers and lovers of stories.

Because this series of interviews about cultural awareness using the example of storytelling is relevant far beyond the borders of storytelling.

Respectful, mindful interaction with each other, that's what cultural awareness means to us. Using storytelling as an example, we will explore ways in which global networking, cultural exchange and cultural awareness can be lived today and now. In a world that is changing and in motion.

Give us a sign with your support that this topic is important and that a strong community is behind us!

This crowdfunding has several functions:

1.) It makes the different workshops possible in any case.

2.) It ensures at least five interviews.

3.) It is the basis for larger funding applications that make much
more possible: more content, more research, more contacts, more exchange, more networking. more diversity.

Specifically:

• even more thorough research and public relations work
• a comprehensive series of videos, audios and blog articles that will be freely available on a permanent basis
• the EVENT "Stories&Arts meets Cultural Awareness" in Munich as a final event.

The Storybox is non-profit and can therefore only spend its money very carefully.
* Research and acquisition of international experts
* Selection of a balanced mix and voices
* Development of individual interview formats
* Communication with potential interview partners
* Payments for all Experts and interview partners*
* Planning, evaluation and implementation of community calls
* Translation
* Editing and production of videos
* Presentation on the website
* Press relations
* Planning of workshops
* Communication with workshop participants*
* Rent of premises
* KSK levy
* Organizer Insurance
* Online platforms

And by the way, if we can, we will do more then five interviews. We cannot promise, but we will try.