“Silver Stories” training courses for VET specialists

Progress Foundation organizes the “Training Course in Digital Storytelling” in 9 cities (Satu Mare, Ploiesti, Focsani, Baia Mare, Bacau, Constanta, Pitesti, Bistrita, Drobeta Turnu Severin), within the Silver Stories project, funded by the European Union through the Leonardo da Vinci Programme.

Silver Stories (2013-2015) is a research and training partnership of universities and nongovernmental organizations from six countries, aiming at bringing together expertise in digital storytelling, community engagement and education to train professionals working with vulnerable community groups and elderly people. It then goes on to explore the process of digital storytelling through a consideration of the stories gathered. These disadvantaged categories are enabled to use the information technology and the Internet through digital stories, increasing thus their capacity to be engaged in the society.

The stories are based on the participants’ own life experience and their purpose is to stimulate creativity and to acquire digital skills. They may also have a therapeutic effect, as they allow sharing personal experiences in a creative, artistic way. The stories can contribute to the preservation of the communities’ cultural identity and memory, are sources oral history or they help the storytellers to narrate, confront and integrate a painful experience.

After attending this training, the students will be able to use Windows Movie Maker to create a digital story, based on their own script, sound and images, and they can also use this method in their future programs and activities. The trainings last for 2 days and they will be organized in March and the beginning of April, 2015. The training group should include 9 people. The courses will be held at the partner County Public Libraries.