The Village Storytelling Festival Symposium: Storytelling for Change

15 May 2026

Thursday, 4 June | 10AM - 4PM | The Boardwalk, Glasgow

Scotland’s Community & Contemporary Storytelling Festival returns on the 3rd June, featuring their Symposium: Storytelling for Change. 

Discover how storytelling can be harnessed to affect real change: from the deeply personal to strategic change in communities, services and policy. Explore the potential of Storytelling as a force for connection and understanding in an ever shifting political and social landscape. Consider the changes necessary for the storytelling sector to be inclusive, contemporary and reflective of our communities.   

The Symposium is for:

• Storytellers, artists, creative practitioners and heritage professionals interested in deepening their practice or driving change and supporting inclusion within the arts and heritage.
• Educators, Community Practitioners and those in Health & Social Care interested in story-led approaches.
• Funders, Public Sector workers and Third Sector leaders interested in storytelling for strategic change.
• Anyone else with an interest in Storytelling, Inclusion and the Arts. 

The Symposium will feature a range of exciting speakers and presenters: 

• Lauren Bianchi and Corra Foundation will discuss their work in sharing the stories of parents who have had their children permanently removed in the hope of policy and service change.  
• Daniel Calvert (Stirling University), Sawsan Abdelghany (University of Glasgow) and Storytellers, Lababa Naqvi and Daiva Ivanauskaite-Brown will explore the role of storytelling in supporting multilingualism and integration.  
• Ruth Kirkpatrick will share her expertise in a taster workshop exploring the principles of Life Story Work.
• Niall Moorjani will support an important conversation about diversity and inclusion in storytelling. 

Tickets for third sector organisations for the Symposium are £75.

Get your tickets here.

Find the full programme here.