We are very pleased to share that FolkDeep CIC has been shortlisted for The One to Watch Award at the National Arts and Cultural Education Awards 2026, organised by Curious Minds.
This recognition is incredibly meaningful for us, especially because FolkDeep is still at the beginning of its journey. We are growing, learning, building and shaping our work with love, purpose and community at the heart of everything we do. To be recognised at this stage reminds us that small beginnings can carry deep meaning when they are rooted in care, culture and social purpose.
FolkDeep was created to celebrate and protect folk traditions, oral stories, cultural memory and community-led creative learning. Our work brings people together through storytelling, folk art, dance, food memories, rituals, heritage and everyday cultural knowledge. We believe that culture does not only belong in museums, archives or formal institutions. It also lives in homes, classrooms, community centres, family stories, women’s memories, children’s imagination and intergenerational conversations.
This shortlist feels like a recognition of that belief.
Over the past year, FolkDeep has been developing projects that connect communities across Belfast, Delhi and beyond. Through initiatives such as Radha Sutra: Stories Across Borders, we have worked with children, young people, women, homemakers, diaspora communities and local groups to create spaces for intercultural dialogue and creative exchange. These sessions have explored folk art, Irish folklore, South Asian traditions, storytelling, dance, memory and belonging.
For us, arts and cultural education are not only about teaching techniques or introducing traditions. They are about creating spaces where people feel seen, where their cultural knowledge is valued, and where communities can learn from one another with respect and curiosity.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of FolkDeep’s journey so far. Thank you to those who nominated us, believed in our work, joined our workshops, shared stories with us, encouraged us and supported us through each step. Every message, every moment of trust and every act of support has helped FolkDeep move forward.
This shortlist is not only an achievement. It is a reminder that the work we are trying to build matters. It gives us more strength to continue developing cultural models rooted in folk traditions, storytelling, children and young people, women’s voices, community learning and intercultural exchange.
FolkDeep will keep going strong. We will continue creating spaces where people, stories and communities can come together, and where arts and cultural learning can support connection, dignity and meaningful change.
From FolkDeep’s heart to yours, thank you. 💛