An elderly storyteller recounts folk tales and old stories to young kids as part of the “Storymama” project. (Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

It is widely known that older generations can enhance their well-being just by connecting with younger people. According to a 2008 study by Michelle Carlson, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, older adults improved their brain and cognitive function after tutoring students for six months.

In this light, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Storymama” project is a meaningful attempt to promote intergenerational harmony while creating jobs for seniors. Launched in 2009, it brings together Korean grandmothers who are willing to recount folk tales and old stories about ancient sages to children nationwide. Only 30 grandmothers joined the project in 2009, but the number soared to 3,000 this year, with the participants sharing their stories with some 520,000 kids at 8,600 educational institutions.

Beginning in August, these seniors will also interact with students at so-called neulbom elementary schools, places where children can get education and care services provided by the government before and after attending school. They offer artificial intelligence (AI), coding and cooking classes, among others.

“We will link the Storymama project – one of our ministry’s major policies – and the neulbom after-school program – one of the government’s key tasks – to spread storytelling by the elderly further,” Culture Minister Park Bo Gyoon said. “We believe this will also spur the imagination and creativity of our children and primary school students.”

The elderly artists are currently appearing on cable channel tvN STORY’s six-episode competition program “My Turn for the Last.” The show premiered on June 13 and features teams vying against one another to be crowned the best storytellers. They collaborate with different artists, including performers from gugak (traditional Korean music) and musical theater, to greatly enhance their storytelling performances. The winners get a chance to showcase their performances at theaters in three major cities.

“The competition to enter the Storymama project is intense,” Ryu In-sook, who became a storyteller about two years ago, said in a recent interview with the state-run educational channel EBS on June 26. “I was not confident about myself at first, but I still decided to throw my hat in the ring because I love children so much. Now, I visit daycare centers or kindergartens two or three times a week to share my stories, which center on themes like friendship, faith, effort and perseverance.”

During Science Day (April 21) week, Ryu narrated the story of prodigy Jang Yeong-sil, who invented many scientific instruments like a rain gauge and an automatic water clock during the early part of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

“Such anecdotes show our children the power of wisdom and invention,” Ryu said. “They love hearing these tales so much.”

Ryu hopes more jobs can be created for seniors.

“It seems that a lot of retired professionals are having a tough time finding new work,” she pointed out. “It will be great if they can discover places where they can utilize their expertise.”