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In cooperation with the Städtische Grundschule Unterstadt (Belgium), ELIX and other stakeholders started the "The Children of Sheherazade" project, a three year evaluation research study of an oral storytelling project. 
ELIX is partnering with the organisation "Haus der Märchen und Geschichten e.V." (Germany) and the schools "Vester Skerninge Friskole" (Denmark), "Städtische Gemeinschafts- grundschule Düppelstraße" (Germany) and "Øster Åby Friskole" (Denmark).

This project is based on the pilot research project „Einsteins Kinder“ which was a joint research study with Professor Dr. Thomas Hennemann, head of the department of educational help and social-emotional development in the faculty of human sciences at the University of Cologne, and Haus der Märchen und Geschichten (Germany). The results of four tests dealing with emotional problem, specifically “lessening of fears”, had been evaluated and the science world concluded a significant difference. The project "The Children of Sheherazade" will explore if those results can be replicated. The resources of that study are taken, redefined and adjusted to form a new research design.

This design includes the needs and questions of all partners:
For the partners in Belgium and Germany: How to provide children with various backgrounds and religions a common denominator?
For the partner in Greece: How to give children of migrants and refugees a feeling of a “new home”?
For the partner in Denmark: How free schools can provide the common heritage in Denmark?

Objectives
The study aims to give an objective idea of how beneficial the art of storytelling is for children with migration background, with a socially deprived background, with a sense of fear for oneself and the future. It will promote social and emotional stability, further resilience, awaken fantasy, understand different cultures, build tolerance and self-awareness, develop a sense of “home” regardless of one’s own cultural background, understand communication: personal, media and digital. It will give children regardless of who or where they are, a rise in self-esteem and awaken their fantasy. Those skills will enable them to creatively form their lives and the future.

Activities
Professional storytellers visit the classes once a week, 30 times during the academic year. The telling is done during the morning sessions. The whole class is in attendance as well as the class room teacher. The sessions are 90 minutes long and consists of one told story, a movement element and a drawing. Nothing will ever be graded. The whole concept is not based on any pedagogical concept, just an artist presenting his/her art!
In the first year only wonder tales are told. They are based on the children’s cultural backgrounds, so all of them can feel respected and accepted. At the same time, as fairy tales all have the same structure, a common bond can be established among the class. 
In the second-year themes play a role. A more active listening skill is furthered, something not so common anymore within our digital world in which the visual sense is more and more focused on. But as listening and telling are the pillars on which human communication is built, this skill is too important to be ignored. Two themes are chosen by the students themselves in a democratic way. One theme is told in all of the classes: nature and the understanding that we are part of it. The third year is dedicated to the art of inventing stories, tales, poems.

After each telling and the movement element each student draws a picture which is collected. At the end of the school year all of the drawings are bound into booklets. Each student creates her/his own book with his/her own drawings, after having chosen a common title. This is repeated for the theme stories and for the invented tales. At the end of the project each student has a least 5 created books of his/her own. The study includes both quantitative and qualitative research questions. They will provide scientific information of how the subject “storytelling” can improve the children’s emotional and social competencies, intercultural acceptance, imagination, an understanding of common values and emotional and social skills.

Impact
The research project "The Children of Sheherazade" will start after the summer break in 2021 and will end autumn 2024. The study includes both quantitative and qualitative research questions.
Tools to be used include: psychological health of the students in form of standardized screening test (SDQ = Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (of teachers) and LSL= social behavior (of teachers). The class climate will be measured with standardized tests, to show the social relationships between the individual students as well as the social interaction of the whole class. (FEESS Bauer & Schuck 2003). The results after four tests dealing with emotional problems specifically “lessening of fears” was evaluated with the project "Einsteins Kinder" and the science world spoke here of a significant difference. The project will explore if those results can be duplicated. If so the art of storytelling should become a normal school subject. Especially with school types such as the partner schools and their students. Each partner will promote this art form and wants to establish this project into their normal day to day school life. Furthermore the principals will provide information to their national school conferences to help to implement this "new " subject into public and private schools. All told stories will be collected in their respective languages. Each partner will provide a paper version which goes into the school library. and digital one. The digital ones will be put on the website to be publicly available. Each body of students will pick their three most favorite stories of year 1, year two and an invented tale of year three. They will be translated into English and put on the website. Such a compendium of 35 tales and stories will help respective tellers or teachers to find appropriate tales.

The project "The Children of Sheherazade - Die Kinder von Sheherazade - A research and evaluation study of a storytelling project in primary schools" is co-funded by the European Union in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, Cooperation partnerships in school education KA220-SCH (2021-1-BE03-KA220-SCH-000024196)  
Start: November 2021
End: October 2024

For detailed information please visit the website of the project: www.children-of-sheherazade.de