UNESCO Story Circles
It is a great pleasure to announce the inaugural UNESCO Story Circles session in England.
On Wednesday, 15th April 2026, the event took place at Voluntary Action Islington, Islington Council's hub for charities, voluntary organisations and NGOs. It was a pleasure to work with members of their management team and hear so many fantastic contributions.
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation
In a divided and fast-changing world, intercultural dialogue is a practical and value-driven approach to building the trust and understanding needed to tackle common challenges. UNESCO defines it as a process undertaken to realise transformative communication across cultures and identities, grounded in principles and values such as mutual respect, empathy, and a willingness to change perspectives. As an operational strategy, intercultural dialogue enables people with different perspectives, beliefs, and backgrounds to connect meaningfully, navigate tensions, and co-create shared solutions. It offers a structured way to move beyond disagreement, helping to unlock cooperation where it matters most.
More than just a form of exchange
Intercultural dialogue is an approach for aligning diverse interests around shared priorities. Whether that means building more cohesive communities, fostering economic resilience, or responding effectively to crises. It helps create the human connections and shared language that are essential for joint action. UNESCO is committed to making this process effective and scalable: both by producing the knowledge and evidence needed to understand how dialogue works and how it can be effectively supported, and by creating tailored projects at the country level to put it into practice.
The UNESCO Story Circles general context
The importance of developing intercultural competence in addressing global challenges. The rise of populism, migration crises, and violent extremism highlights the need for enhanced intercultural dialogue. Intercultural competence is crucial for managing conflicts and fostering peace in a diverse world. Developing intercultural competencies is essential for individuals to live and work together peacefully.
UNESCO Story Circles Methodology Overview
Story circles are a transformative approach to developing intercultural competencies through structured sharing of personal experiences. Participants engage in small group discussions to share personal stories. The methodology emphasises emotional connections, making it more impactful than traditional training. It's designed for diverse age groups and successfully piloted with participants aged 12 to 70+. The process typically requires 90 to 120 minutes, including briefing time.
