The project Once Upon a Time in Seleuș introduces an innovative model of education through culture in rural areas, built on intergenerational collaboration and the appreciation of local narrative heritage. Through storytelling, theatre, visual arts, music and multimedia workshops, at least 30 children from the village of Seleuș will create cultural productions — an illustrated book, a short film and an audiobook — derived from real-life narratives shared by older members of the community. These works will be publicly launched and made available online through a trilingual platform (RO–EN–DE), addressing both local audiences and the diaspora originating from the village.
The project supports the development of children’s creative and social skills, fosters community cohesion, and promotes multiculturalism as a resource for harmonious coexistence. The intervention is based on a needs analysis and aligns with local and European strategies for equitable access to culture and education.
The project Once Upon a Time in Seleuș aims to nurture a generation of children who discover their identity through culture and play an active role in preserving and promoting their community’s storytelling heritage, by using creative, collaborative and intergenerational approaches.
The envisioned outcome is the emergence of a culturally educated community in which children, supported by school, family and older generations, become creators and ambassadors of their own narrative heritage. They learn to transform living heritage into contemporary cultural products, including an illustrated book, a film, an audiobook, exhibitions and a digital platform.
The project builds meaningful connections between generations and develops sustainable educational tools, contributing to greater cultural participation in rural communities and to and to the development of young people’s artistic expression, teamwork and critical thinking skills.
Educational, by strengthening a model of learning through culture that can be applied both in schools and beyond formal education settings.
Cultural, by creating cultural resources that remain valuable assets for the community and serve as transferable models for other contexts.
Over the long term, the project aims to establish a sustainable framework for cultural education in rural areas, which can be replicated, expanded and adapted in other communities, supported by the online platform and revenues generated through the distribution of the book. This approach contributes to building a resilient educational and cultural ecosystem while fostering an active connection to local heritage.
To encourage greater engagement among children in rural communities in alternative forms of learning through culture, by strengthening their creative, social and identity-related skills within a collaborative artistic process rooted in local stories and intergenerational dialogue.
By October 2025, at least 30 children from Seleuș will develop skills in artistic expression (creative writing, illustration and performance), teamwork and the appreciation of local heritage through active participation in 6 culturally themed creative workshops delivered by artists and experts.
Between July and October 2025, at least 10 older members of the Seleuș community will take an active role in the project’s educational process through guided conversations with children and by supporting the documentation of local stories, thereby strengthening intergenerational connections and reinforcing community memory as a shared learning resource.
By the end of November 2025, at least 10 stories collected from the community will be transformed into accessible creative works — including an illustrated book, a filmed theatre production, audiobooks and a trilingual digital platform — co-created by children, artists and specialists, in order to strengthen cultural belonging and local pride.
By the end of the project, cultural participation within the community will be increased through the organisation of two public launch events in Seleuș and Sighișoara, with the direct involvement of children and at least 200 participants, as well as through the promotion of the creative works in public spaces and online (via the digital platform, social media and local media).
By the end of the project, the artistic outputs will be promoted among at least 1,000 members of the Seleuș diaspora through a dedicated online platform and bilingual materials, reinforcing the emotional and identity-based ties to their place of origin.
The project does not necessarily represent the official position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN shall not be held liable for the project's content or any use to which the project outcome might be put. These are the sole responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.