Story-Telling Workshops for Those Over 60

Status: Completed

norway Norway

Print this page City population: 294000Practice started in 2023

Summary

We become part of a community when we share our stories. Lead by instructor Vibeke Flesland Havre fram Bergen Community Theatre (Bergen Borgerscene), we invited persons over 60 to 7 monthly story telling workshops at the local theatre. Each workshop lasted 3 hrs, had a guest who set the topic, followed by full body and voice warm up, and structured story telling in a big circle.

1. What is a storytelling workshop? Guest: Journalist Hilde Sandvik. We talked about freedom of expression, and told stories about being able to express ourselves.

2. Criminal stories. Guest: Former professional criminal and leader of WayBack Roger Ellingsen.
We told stories about encounters with authoritarian governments.

3. Being a Westerner. Guest: actor Helge Jordal. We shared stories from the coastal culture and all the other ingredients that are needed to be a
Westerner.

4. Upbringing. Guests: mother and daughter, Kristin and Anna Helle-Valle. We shared stories about the effect of different types of upbringing, both on the individual and society.

5. Power – powerlessness. Guest: Street artist and architect Naem Searle. We shared stories on feeling powerless, and
how we can make our power visible, and take it back. Naem showed instroduced street art as a tool for telling stories, and we sketched together with the invitation of making street art the next week (after dark)…

6. Forbidden opinions. No guest. We shared stories on whether Is it allowed to pquestion facts and practices that are perceived as
general truths. We worked on listening without judging.

7. Christmas workshop. Guest: artist Annlaug Børsheim. We told stories about Christmas and how that is different for everyone. Ended with mini concert with Annlaug Børsheim

Website: https://www.bt.no/byliv/i/O8jGPO/her-moetes-de-for-aa-gjoere-bydelen-bedre-for-eldre

Key facts

Main target group: Older people in general

Sector(s): Other

Other sector(s): Culture

Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:

Ageism
Ageing in place
Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
Intergenerational activities
Inclusion
Participation

Contact details

Name: Helle-Valle, Anna

Email address: anna.helle.valle@aldringoghelse.no

Preferred language(s): English and Norwegian

Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Other

Others involved in the project:

Private sector

How collaboration worked: The project leader Anna Helle-Valle is employed in a national centre for ageing and health that is state owned, but her projects are a collaboration with local cultural organisations, non profit organisations, the local municipality and the university that is state owned. This project was funded by a local non profit (GC Rieber Foundation) and led in collaboration with three theatre organisations (Bergen Borgerscene, Cornerteateret and Det Vestnorske Teateret)

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Details on older people’s involvement: Vibeke Flesland Havre and Anna Helle-Valle consulted elderly in planning the workshop, recruited through our elder friends and family in addition to social media and the municiplality, and all the elders we involved in creating the workshop itself with their active participation and story telling

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: No

Do you plan to evaluate your age-friendly practice? No

Feedback:
Positiv feedback in that the workshops helped men open up (“I am not used to sharing private information – this was interesting, a bit scary and very good for me” 90 year old man), some people found each other and connected on personal experience (two adopted elders found out they were adopted from the same place, and had not told a lot of people about their background before the workshop). We had feedback that it brought joy and motivation to try new things, se each others as deep characters, become better listeners and be social.

Expansion plans:
We are holding a story telling workshop in the Munch exhibition at KODE museum in Bergen this June where we use Edvard Munch’s art to help older and younger men talk about love, anxiety, jealousy and death, with plans to apply for a series of workshops (first application to the health authoroties was rejected)

Looking back

Reflections:
I think recruitment is the hardest part of our story telling workshops, plus financing the workshops. This is somewhere between culture and health, and it is hard to find relevant financing that can help us scale up or make this in to a steady cultural activity that can gain a steady group of participants.

Challenges:
Vibeke (actress/instructor) and Anna (psychologist/producer) are very flexible in building the workshop around the participants. Challenges are recruiting and financing.