The Istanbul Family Foundation has launched a comprehensive storytelling initiative designed to strengthen communication between children and parents and to support the cognitive and moral development of children who are increasingly exposed to digital screens.
The project will make more than 300 recorded fairy-tale videos available to the public through the foundation’s official YouTube channel. Each episode, lasting approximately seven to eight minutes, is scheduled to be released every other day.
Foundation officials said the initiative responds to the growing exposure of children to overstimulating content on televisions, computers, tablets and mobile phones. The project aims to encourage children to grow into individuals who think critically, question information and draw lessons from life, while helping parents establish healthier communication patterns and reinforce family bonds.
The project also seeks to highlight and sustain the educational, preventive and protective role of parents and extended family members in children’s upbringing.
Traditional storyteller and author Yusuf Duru serves as the principal narrator of the series. In a specially designed studio established with the foundation’s support, Duru recorded more than 300 fairy tales in a warm, grandfatherly style. The repertoire includes Dede Korkut stories, Keloğlan tales, La Fontaine fables and selections from "One Thousand and One Nights."
In addition to the digital series, the foundation has prepared a companion book to create a permanent cultural archive for the project. The publication includes a “Storytelling Guide” and presents each tale with character introductions and color-coded narrative elements to support educational use.
The foundation also plans to organize storytelling training programs in multiple cities. The training curriculum is expected to cover narrative traditions, performance techniques and dramatization methods.
Duru said storytelling remains the easiest and most enjoyable way to communicate with children. He noted that while technological devices can support access to information, excessive screen exposure lowers children’s comprehension levels and weakens family relationships.
“With this storytelling project, we aim to fundamentally rebuild family communication and ensure its healthy continuity,” Duru said, adding that the initiative emerged from a long-term and intensive development process led by the Istanbul Family Foundation.
Duru also highlighted the importance of values education through fairy tales, emphasizing that stories convey universal themes such as courage, honesty, love and responsibility, which play a critical role in shaping future generations.
The foundation aims to expand the project nationwide through training programs and educational partnerships, positioning storytelling as a sustainable alternative to digital dependency and as a long-term tool for strengthening family unity.
