development of social enterprise at the village storytelling centre
The Social Enterprise project at The Village ran from November 2006 to October 2007, its aim to explore areas for income generation and to develop a range of storytelling courses. Our Storytelling Trainer, Angela Knowles, delivered a number of highly-rated training sessions both here at The Village and at locations across Glasgow, in West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde and East Renfrewshire. A very successful session was run at Cardonald College as part of their Staff Development Day in February 2007.
Many people think of storytelling simply as a means to entertain children but, whilst we did provide training courses for people working with children, we recognized that storytelling has the potential for a wider usage. Everyone has a story to tell and stories are a powerful means of sharing information and connections with others. To this end we developed courses using storytelling skills to help people increase their confidence and also to assist people making presentations. These courses are particularly applicable for the employability sector. We will continue to explore how storytelling can be used in organizations to help them consolidate their identity and consult with stakeholders.
During the project, The Village Storytelling Centre exhibited for the first time at The Gathering - the voluntary sector fair organized by The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organizations (SCVO). Information on our training programmes, and other Village projects, were available to the general public and to exhibiting and visiting voluntary sector organizations. We continue to build on these links.
Our Social Enterprise Officer, Sheena MacKinnon, is no longer with the centre, but we will be continue to develop and promote income generation streams.
Should you wish to arrange a training session or discuss specific needs the new contact is Vanessa Paynton (Job Share Director)
More information about our storytelling courses can be found on our training page.
The project funders were