What is it?

In the context of lifelong learning, OPENDOEK offers a training programme for storytellers, specifically focused on stories for and with people living with dementia. You learn to create interactive storytelling sessions in which people with dementia not only listen, but also contribute and tell their own stories. In this way, we create warm moments of relaxation and connection for them and their surroundings.

The training consists of several steps, including:

A deeper understanding of dementia and the living environment of people with dementia (in collaboration with the Alzheimer Liga and residential care centres).

An intensive workshop programme on storytelling, tailored to the lived experience of people with dementia.

The development of storylines, supported by coaching sessions and try-outs.

A final storytelling session for residents, family members, and informal caregivers in the participating residential care centres and community houses.

After completing the training, you can start working as a storyteller in residential care centres, community houses, or in private settings. How you use these skills is entirely up to you — OPENDOEK is happy to support you with suggestions.

For whom?

Non-professional artists
Professionals working in the care sector
Family caregivers
Anyone with a heart for the arts who wants to use their social engagement for people living with dementia
Storytellers

In this training, you learn to:

Gain insight into dementia and the lived experience of those involved
Use storytelling in ways that support people living with dementia
Develop interactive storylines with coaching and try‑outs
Deliver a storytelling session for residents, family members and caregivers

The teachers:

Eric Vanthillo (Muzarto): “Grabs every chance to tell stories himself — with nothing in his pockets, nothing up his sleeves, but plenty in his mind.”
Maarten Van Rompaey (AMWD Mortsel): “Uses words and voice to bring the power of connection to life.”

Training sessions:

Saturday 17 January 2026: Session 1
Saturday 24 January 2026: Session 2
Saturday 7 February 2026: Session 3
Saturday 28 February 2026: Session 4
Saturday 9 May 2026: Follow‑up session

Registration fee:

Registration (including OPENDOEK membership): €114
OPENDOEK members: €100
Young people under 26 (non‑members): €68
Young people under 26 (members): €61
Reduced rate: €57

Why?

Dementia often leads to loneliness, both for people with the diagnosis and for their caregivers. In a society where loneliness is becoming more common and leaves deep marks, people living with dementia are a particularly vulnerable group. Social contact becomes harder to maintain, and the inability to remember certain facts or express yourself clearly can be isolating.

Art and culture can break through this isolation. Sensory stimuli often create moments of clarity, and cultural projects offer opportunities for expression and connection. Yet the cultural offer for this group remains very limited.

This project aims to bring people together through stories. People living with dementia, their caregivers, storytellers, and care professionals share enjoyable and stimulating activities. The project also offers people with dementia the chance to tell their own stories. Storytelling sessions create a safe space where emotional truth and imagination matter more than exact facts. With adapted methods, people with dementia are encouraged to take an active role and become co storytellers. They experience more agency, appreciation, and connection, while warm moments of intimacy with their surroundings can emerge.

Questions?

Damien Vantomme

Coordinator Regional Operations, AGE on stAGE, Directors and Souvenir

damien.vantomme@opendoek.be

0484 41 92 28

Souvenir