We've observed so many opportunities for youth and seniors with a big gap for adults in their prime age. And so many of them are struggling with their identity, belonging, and adapting to the fast changes of the VUCA world. To find a slow and soft path of skills development we've reached into the past, to the colorful field of folklore.

On several occasions, we've been asked what we can offer for adults as there are so many opportunities for youth but little for them. Formal education is criticized that is insufficient for the proper personal growth of young people. However, if we compare it to the times when current adults were attending school, it's much more creative and aware of students' needs. Older generations were in a much worse situation, deprived of an individualized approach, opportunities for personal development, emotional intelligence, openness for inclusion, diversity, and space to learn civic competence. We wanted to fill this gap and decided to use folklore as a bridge to achieve it. 

This work "Cooking together" by Fundacja Nausika is licensed under All rights reserved

Folklore means such as arts, crafts, natural building, social games and storytelling for generations were maintaining sustainability, resilience, solidarity, identity and belonging. In constant search of innovation surrounded by the VUCA world we left behind old-fashioned methods and attitudes. As much as it's beneficial in many fields like equal rights, and gender diversity etc., it can deprive us of numerous good practices involving strengthening social bonds, enjoying simple things and taking care of mental and physical well-being. 

Rural eco-communities offering learning opportunities based on widely understood folklore can become a bridge between past and future, therefore we wanted to empower them through "Folklore for Future" project. Additionally, we wished to dive into the cultural heritage of Nordic and Slavic communities, especially bringing Ukrainian folklore into the spotlight, looking for similarities, cherishing differences, learning from each other and building new combinations.

We wanted to look for new solutions for the challenges of the future by reaching out to the best practices from the past and using them in a creative way. We're still on that path and you can follow our Art and Craft Residencies, events, video stories and other inspirations on www.nausika.eu/folkloreforfuture.

We aim at empowering eco-communities, rural retreats and eco-villages, rediscovering folklore as inspiration for non-formal education tools and above all bridging:

🌿 Scandinavian & Slavic cultures,

🌿 rural & urban,

🌿 culture & nature,

🌿 past & future!

We’re exploring folklore as the predecessor of non-formal education (socializing, learning soft skills, community building) and the narrative for handling future challenges (sustainability, resilience, solidarity, identity, belonging).

Maypole dances, village festivals, Christmas and Midwinter customs, food preservation, forgotten crafts and arts - folklore embraces all that and million more other things. 

Do you have your favourite example of folklore that is still used in your region? Any traditional food that connects your family and bring warm memories?