Human Books: ‘Where did you find these wonderful people?’
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Close to 50 library patrons recently enjoyed the opportunity to ‘read’ seven ‘Human Books’ at Warringah Mall Library – giving all the ‘Human Books’ rave reviews.
Northern Beaches Council commemorated Refugee Week this year by hosting a unique ‘Human Library’ event featuring seven real people going ‘on loan’ to the public for 20 minutes at a time to share their compelling true stories about their experiences as refugees.
The ‘Stories of the Northern Beaches - Human Library’ event featured stories of people from a range of cultural backgrounds including Vietnam, Tibet, Serbia and Armenia.
The ‘Readers’ shared conversations with the ‘Human Books’ about their experiences as refugees, including the challenges of settling in a new country, overcoming stereotypes and starting a new life.
Reader feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
“Where did you find these wonderful people?”; “What powerful stories!’’; “When are you doing this next? What a great idea!”
These were just a few of the enthusiastic comments that had flooded in by the close of the day.
The ‘Human Library’ concept has proved a great way to connect people in our community, challenge stereotypes and acknowledge the great contributions refugees make to our community.