Young storytellers wanted to share stories of history and heritage
Historic Environment Scotland (HES), Scottish Book Trust and the Scottish Storytelling Forum are searching for young storytellers as part of the Year of Stories 2022
Young people from across Scotland are being asked to take inspiration from over 5,000 years of Scotland’s history and to inspire young storytellers through heritage as part of its If These Walls Could Talk project.
To take part in the project children aged eight to 12 are being asked to tell a tale that features a Historic Scotland site in English or Gaelic through spoken or written storytelling by submitting a 150-300-word story or two-minute storytelling video by Friday June 24.
All participants will be entered into a prize draw where there will be a range of exciting prizes including a Historic Scotland family membership for one year; a Historic Scotland seven-day family explorer pass; book bundles and writing kits; a signed set of Cressida Cowell How to Train Your Dragon books; a one-hour storytelling session for a school or library; and tickets for the Storytelling Festival in October for a school class.
Alex Paterson, chief executive of HES, said: ‘Our historic houses, castles and abbeys have been linked to stories throughout history and I look forward to finding out how they continue to inspire young people today.
‘In addition to a range of fantastic prizes on offer for the participants, including a signed set of books from the best-selling children’s author Cressida Cowell, the voices of young people up and down the country will be celebrated through a showreel to highlight their diverse and creative tales, providing an opportunity for their perspectives to be featured and showcased as part of Scotland’s themed year.’
Miriam Morris, communications and development officer for The Scottish Storytelling Forum, said: ‘This is a great way to engage with stories and storytelling in the Year of Scotland’s Stories and the perfect opportunity to celebrate the history around us.
‘Storytelling is one of Scotland’s oldest traditional art forms and we’ve seen more and more young people interested in the tradition of the spoken word.
‘We’re delighted to be part of this project and are looking forward to seeing and hearing all the stories that come in.’
A showreel featuring some of the most inspiring entries will be created and shared over HES’s social media channels and website as part of the Year of Stories 2022.
For further information or to enter, visit: hes.scot/these-walls