Why continue writing stories for our children in which the main characters are princes and princesses?

We are creating the first collection of children´s stories in which the main characters are Social Game Changers.

1. Our society is going through great changes both economically and socially, and as a result, new ways of Entrepreneurship and addressing needs are surfacing. Our current Social Entrepreneurs have inspired us with their actions and impact on society. 2. Once Upon A Time… In Real Life offers children´s stories based on the real life of Social Entrepreneurs, Game Changers, who have dedicated their life to changing the course of our societies; Indeed, these are the Heroes who exist and cohabitate with us in our everyday life!

To inspire children by giving them a reference of people who are real and close to them.

Tales influence the imagination of children who often times see the princes and princesses depicted in the stories as their role models, and sometimes carry that notion well into their adulthood. Why not replace these characters with the real people who are generating change in our society? In such case, we would not detach children from the realities of the world in which we live, but demonstrate through concrete examples the change that is possible for all of us.

From Objectives to Magic…

Most of the social entrepreneurs that we interviewed concur on the fact that there was a moment in their life in which they began to listen to their heart as a result of their personal context. The message was clear: to effect change not only in their life, but also in their society. So, maybe Magic is real … but is it possible that the messages and guidance come from sources other than fairies and elves?

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Vision

Our approach and image.

For our collection we want to work with writers who have acquired experience in the writing of children's tales. These writers are to have a style of writing that evokes each important event in the life of the main characters and combine it with magic and narrative formulas that belong to the universe of storytelling. We want the illustration of our books to be beautiful. We hope to work with artists that have their own style and who have subscribed to the direction of the Contemporary Art universe. The stories will begin with the childhood of the main character in order to create a clear and direct link with children from the very first pages. Also, the biography of the main characters will always be available at the end of the story so parents and teachers can help children connect with the real world.

Ethics and Social Impact

It is important for us that all the individuals who participate in the production of our stories benefit.

- A percentage of the sales will go directly to the writer.

- Another percentage will be donated to the association created by the social entrepreneur.

- The remaining percentage will be donated to Momento in order to help current and future projects take flight.

*the artists who work on illustrating the story books will be paid for their work accordingly.

Collection in three languages: English, French, and Spanish.

We wish to make a connection between the Northern and the Southern hemispheres by offering stories about social entrepreneurs from all over the world. Fascinating stories about people who are generating change in their society are present in every corner of the world.

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Our first story

This is the story of Diana Sierra, a businesswoman of Colombian origin who has dedicated her life to reach school children in Uganda by offering a magical object. What could this precious object whose absence causes absenteeism in the classroom be? The story takes us through the life of Diana... a life that began in the mountainous coffee region of Colombia and progressed towards two huge cities, New York and Bogota, and somehow made its way to the green plains of Africa.

About Us

David Cortez: Holds a degree in Literature from Javeriana University in Colombia and a Master's degree in the Promotion of Reading and Children's Literature from Castilla University in La Mancha Cuenca, Spain. He is a Latin American Literature Center of High Literary and Social Studies International Seminar scholar (Chaco, Argentina). Mr. Cortez won a Children's Literature award in the Atlantic Coastal region of Colombia for his story “Leo”.

Maritza Abreo: Holds a Master's degree in multimedia project management from Sorbonne in Paris. She is passionate about innovation and has worked in the field of digital creation since 2004. She founded her own design and software design agency in 2011 in Colombia, which is dedicated to serve French clients. Throughout her entrepreneurial life going back and forth between Bogotá and Paris, she has met entrepreneurs, friends, scientists, developers, artists, farmers and writers. Momen-to.com and Once Upon a Time... in the real life, were born as a result these beautiful encounters.

Diana Sierra: Dina grew up in a farm in a rural área of Colombia. She enjoyed a colorful, yet simple life surrounded by family. Despite some financially difficulty, Diana worked hard to obtain a scholarship to study industrial design in on of Colombia´s universities. From then on, her career takes off to Nueva York, where she studied in Columbia. Why did Dina decide to leave her prospects in design to go to Uganda? You will find out in our first story :)

Press:

http://missheardmagazine.com/begirl-designing-a-revolution-by-diana-sierra/#sthash.93XHHPAb.dpbs

http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2016/05/12/la-colombiana-que-hackeo-la-toalla-higienica-para-cambiar-la-vida-de-las-ninas-en-africa/

http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-36468340

Once upon a time in real life...