Partners in four Countries
Schools, Institutes and Storytellers combine Forces
The European partner countries were chosen first by looking at the geographical layout of Europe, in order to find a diverse set of partners. These are the project partners, the elementary schools and non-governmental organisations, the associate partners, the science institutes, and the experts, the storytellers and scientific assistance.
Schools and Organizations
The European partner countries were chosen first by looking at the geographical layout of Europe, in order to find a diverse set of partners.
One was Greece due to the heavy load of refugees and migrants and there the organization ELIX came to mind as this organization is specialized in schooling refugees and migrants.
In Denmark, the didactical approach of the two free schools already involves art projects. Could they further benefit from a long term storytelling project?
The organization Haus der Märchen and Geschichten was eminent as it was involved in the research pilot project “Einsteins Kinder®” as well as the elementary school Düppelstraße Germany. They have been involved in long term school projects for the last 22 years, providing experience on how to deal with artists in a regular school setting. Also, it helped to find and organize the storytellers in the German and Belgian schools.
In Eastern Belgium, Eupen, the Städtische Grundschule Unterstadt provides classes for this project.
Besides ELIX, Haus der Märchen und Geschichten and the Vester Skerninge Friskole the other partners have never previously been in a EU funded partnership project.
Schools/Educational centres – General education (primary level)
Städtische Grundschule Unterstadt
(leading partner)
Monschauer Str. 10
4700 Eupen
Belgium
facebook-Seite
GGS Düppelstraße
Düppelstr. 19
52068 Aachen
Germany
www.ggsd-ac.de
Øster Åby Friskole
Nyborgvej 501
5881 Svendborg
Denmark
www.voresfriskole.dk
Vester Skerninge Friskole
Nyvej 7
5762 Vester Skerninge
Denmark
www.vskfri.dk
ELIX (Progammata Ethelonitikis Ergasias)
Veranzerou 15
10677 Athens
Greece
www.elix.org.gr
Non-governmental organisation
Haus der Märchen und Geschichten e.V.
Elsa-Brändströmstr. 8
52070 Aachen
Germany
www.houseofstories.de
Partners in Science
A research project needs partners in science.
Our associated partner in the University of Cologne is Prof. Dr. Thomas Hennemann who evualuated the “Einsteins Kinder®” pilot project. He and Regina Sommer developed the research design, research question and the hypotheses of the quantitative and qualitative tests.
Our partner for the necessary tests was the Hogrefe Academy who holds the copyright of the LSL- and FEESS-tests and gave us permission to have them translated into English, Danish and Greek.
The project profits from the profound knowledge and experience of experts in different fields: the storytellers and the scientists.
The Storytellers
Professional storytellers with various backgrounds, ranging from acting, teaching to science, contribute their experience, expertise and sensitivity to this project.
Maria Junghans
For Children of Sheherazade, Maria Junghans is telling stories at Øster Åby Friskole in Svendborg, Denmark.
She has been telling stories her whole life, but did not discover Storytelling as an art form and career path until she was 33. Since then she has worked professionally as a performing artist in Denmark and beyond. In 2013 she founded her own company Part of a Story, creating storytelling shows, storytelling concepts and physical narratives where the audience immerse in the story using all their senses. She also uses storytelling as an applied art form in schools, and gives workshops in the use of storytelling.
Her work is defined by a strong stage presence, a deep understanding for human nature and a never ending curiosity to try out something new or discover and create new stories.
More details »
Foto: Ard Jongsma
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Susanne Lachnit
For Children of Sheherazade, Susanne Lachnit is telling stories at Städtische Grundschule Unterstadt in Eupen, Belgium.
Susanne Lachnit calls herself Lotte von der Inde as a storyteller.
She borrowed the name Lotte von der Inde from the small river on the left bank of the Rhine, the Inde, on whose banks she was born and lived for a long time.
Theater and acting were the focus of her interest from an early age. At the age of 16 she attended a school for independent theater. During her German studies, she deepened her knowledge of modern and older German literary history and linguistics.
This was followed by participation as an actress and assistant director in theater productions in Cologne, Aachen and Berlin.
For 23 years she has been telling stories in theaters, museums, schools, markets, celebrations and historical places in German-speaking countries and has developed – learning by doing … into a professional storyteller.
Together with musicians such as the trio Soli Sono, she developed various musical stories on mythical and historical themes. She mostly tells stories in her home region, the Euregio Maas-Rhine. She has also been a guest narrator at the Altes Museum in Berlin and the Museum Simeonstift Trier, among others.
In the project “The Children of Sheherazade”, „Lotte“ worked with a school class for three years at the Städtische Grundschule Unterstadt (SGU) in Eupen, the German-speaking part of Belgium.
Foto: Helga Korthals
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Regina Sommer
For Children of Sheherazade, Regina Sommer is telling stories at GGS Düppelstraße in Aachen, Germany.
She completed her 1. and 2. teaching degree at the university of Aachen, subjects: history, literature and sports. She lived 12 years in the States and holds a green card for the last 42 years. There she was introduced to the art of storytelling after stage work, film experiences, developing theater pieces dancing semi professionel.
She declared it her art form and returned to Germany to reintroduce storytelling as a stage art. She belongs to the pioneers of the German scene founding VEE (Verband der Erzählinnen und Erzähler) and was a founding member of FEST (Federation of European Stoyytelling) whose yearly conference she organised twice, 2009 in Lausanne, Switzerland, 2019 in Kerkrade, Netherlands.
With her organisation „Haus der Märchen und Geschichten“ she built networks between national and international colleagues, organized for 21 years the internationel biligual storytelling festival „Inbetween times/Zwischen Zeiten“ and with the help of sponsors of the private sector, banks, EU, city and state she was able to do various events around parks, libaries, theatres and schools besides working herself as a pro in different venues and festivals domestic and abroad.
Maybe as she has a teacher training schools were and are always dear to her. She organised throughout the years 2009 until now numerious national and international school projects with the focus on long and short term storytelling in mainly socially deprived neighborhoods. She belives that listening to tales on a weekly basis improves the children’s awareness of themselves, their selfesteem, their social and emotional conduct and raises their curiosity and imagination. („Mrs. Sommer the world was grey until you filled it with colour“ Emily 8 years, Bulgaria)
Thus the first scientific research pilot study „Einsteins Kinder ®“ together with Professor Dr. Thomas Henneman from the University of Cologne 2012–2017 emerged. Encouraged by its scientifically significant results in the area of lessening of fears she untertook the effort to find partners for an EU project and looked for an EU application. Erasmus+ „The children of Sheherazade“ was born.
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Maria Vrachionidou
For Children of Sheherazade, Maria Vrachionidou is telling at ELIX (Progammata Ethelonitikis Ergasias).
Maria is a linguist (graduate, University of Thessaloniki, Greece), social anthropologist (PhD, University of Ioannina, Greece) and a storyteller (graduate, School of Storytelling Art, Athens, Greece). She has participated in ethnographic and linguistic research projects, has studied several languages (Western European, Slavic, non-European) and has been involved with research on cultural and symbolic anthropology. Since 1999 she has been working at the Research Center for Modern Greek dialects and idioms of the Academy of Athens and since 2011 she has been teaching in the School of Storytelling Art.
She is also the vice president of the Board of MYTHOS storytelling organization and in 2019 she has been selected as the FEST (Federation for European Storytelling) as Ambassador for Greece. Since 2010 she has been involved in the theoretical study and research of storytelling and in the same time she has participated in many storytelling performances in Greece and abroad. For more than 25 years she has been teaching and conducting projects of Greek language for foreigners, immigrants and refugees in various formal and informal education sets. She has published numerous books and articles on language, anthropology, storytelling and their connection.
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The Scientific Experts
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hennemann
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hennemann at Cologne University
CV Prof. Dr. Thomas Hennemann »
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Frederick Muckenhaupt
Research Associate
Frederick Muckenhaupt is a special education teacher with a first state examination. During his studies, he spent a year with the storytelling project "Einstein's Children". Since he considers storytelling in schools to be particularly valuable, he was happy to offer his support for the Erasmus+ project. In addition to the standardized test procedures, which he evaluates, he considers the individual statements of students and teachers to be particularly important. In addition to his daily work in youth welfare (individual educational measures with "system breakers"), he is currently completing further training to become a "systemic family therapist".
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The Coordinator
As an expert in storytelling with long experience in schools and with EU-projects and scientific studies, Regina Sommer is coordinating the whole project.