Storytelling Academy at UNESCO Week
Between 13th-17th July 2026, Loughborough hosted a whole week of activities in relation to the University’s three UNESCO Chairs, culminating in the UK UNESCO Chair’s Conference on the Thursday and Friday of that week.
Of course, the Storytelling Academy, which hosts the UNESCO Chair in Storytelling Education for Sustainability, held by Professor Mike Wilson, played a central part in what was a hugely successful and inspiring week.
The highlights were the visits of two colleagues from India as International Fellows of the Institute of Advanced Studies. On Tuesday 14th July Desmond Kharmawphlang, Professor of Cultural Creative Studies at North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong, spoke of his work on Khasi narrative traditions in a talk entitled ‘Tales that Trees Tell: A Khasi Ecocritical Perspective’ (HERE!).
This was followed on Wednesday 15th July by Asha Banu Soletti, Professor at the Centre for Health and Mental Health at the Tata Institute of Sical Sciences in Mumbai, who delivered a talk entitled ‘Con-constructing Well-being in Ecologically Marginalized tribal Landscapes in Maharashtra’ (HERE!), where she referenced the impact of the storytelling work we have been doing together in Mumbai and the surrounding region over the past twelve months. Asha also attended the UNESCO Chairs’ Conference and joined Mike on a panel on the value of international collaborations in the work of the UNESCO Chair.
This is part of an ongoing impact collaboration between the Storytelling Academy and TISS and Alma Solarte-Tobon will be heading to Mumbai again at the end of July for another round of workshops. Plans for a further visit in January 2027 are already afoot!
