In keeping with Positive Ageing Month’s theme of What’s on Your Doorstep, Liz Weir from The Armstrong Storytelling Trust talks about how local storytelling can bring people across Northern Ireland together.
Liz details how the Trust’s sessions celebrate local history and personal experiences, while creating opportunities for people to connect and feel part of their community.
Could you tell us a little about the Armstrong Storytelling Trust programme and what the sessions offer?
The Armstrong Storytelling Trust is a charity dedicated to promoting the art of storytelling, developing new storytellers and enhancing access to stories across Northern Ireland. We deliver storytelling activities for people of all ages, reaching into schools, libraries, care homes and communities. In the past year we delivered 241 events, engaging with 6,594 people.
The sessions are more than simply listening to stories. They offer an opportunity to explore memories, experiences, imagination and local history. Each session is shaped around the people taking part, so there is plenty of opportunity to join in, share a story of your own, or simply sit back and enjoy listening. At the heart of it is the belief that everyone has stories worth hearing. Storytelling can open up conversations between people who might otherwise never have met and help strengthen a sense of community and belonging.
What do participants get from coming along to the storytelling sessions?
People get something different from the sessions, which is one of the things that makes them so special. For some, it is simply the pleasure of hearing a good story and having a laugh. For others, it is the chance to meet people, have a conversation and feel part of something. Stories can also prompt memories and encourage people to share experiences from their own lives, creating connections between generations and between people from different backgrounds.
The sessions can help people feel less isolated, more connected and more confident about participating in their community.
Why do you think storytelling is particularly valuable for older people?
Storytelling gives older people an opportunity to be heard, and that is incredibly important. Older people hold a huge wealth of memories, experiences, knowledge and stories, but those things are not always given the space they deserve.
A storytelling session can provide that space. It can bring memories to the surface, spark conversations and allow people to share parts of their lives that might otherwise remain untold. Sometimes a seemingly small memory can lead to a fascinating conversation and reveal connections with someone else's experience. Most importantly, storytelling helps create connection. At a time when some older people can experience loneliness or become less connected to their communities, coming together around stories can create a genuine sense of belonging.
Where can people find these storytelling sessions, and how often do they take place?
All the public storytelling sessions we deliver can be found on our website: www.armstory.org.uk
We hold Yarnspinners sessions in Bangor, Lisburn and Tullycarnet Libraries once a month between September and May, with sessions also delivered in other libraries and community settings throughout the year. We are keen to bring storytelling to places where people already feel comfortable and at home - we want the sessions to feel like a natural part of community life rather than something people have to travel a long way to access.
How can people find out more, or get involved?
The best way to find out more is to visit our website to find a storytelling session happening in your area.
You don't need any previous experience of storytelling to get involved. Whether you love listening to stories, have stories of your own you'd like to share, or are simply curious and want to come along and see what it's all about, there is a place for you. We are also interested in hearing from community groups, organisations and venues that would like to explore how storytelling could be brought to their community.
