The “Living Library” campaign, or stories to “borrow”

The " Living Library" campaign took place for the fourth time in Szczecin. On Saturday, in the Promedia library, selected people told their stories to those who came to "borrow" them. This is an initiative of the You Can Foundation.

In this year's edition, you could borrow, among others: a person in a wheelchair, a girl who is losing her sight and hearing, a person with depression, an amazon or a woman with a prosthesis. Borrowing here simply means talking to a person who has had difficult experiences and wants to share them.

- It is a meeting with another person, a person who may feel excluded from society for any reason - says Paulina Olichwer, Marketing Director of the You Can Foundation. - It may be a disabled person who, for example, had an accident or suffered some damage due to illness, but it may also be a person who does not fit into such norms, such stereotypes in society, does not fit into some box.

As the organizers say, it is primarily about understanding another person and their situation, often difficult, even traumatic. The event is taking place this year for the fourth time and with each edition it enjoys increasing interest.

- We have regular readers who are waiting for new books, but we also have new people who come, wonder who they would like to talk to and decide on the spot whose story they want to learn - explains Joanna Sawicka-Budziak, president of the You Can Foundation. - We already know from social media that there is a high click-through rate and how many shares there were of this event. The interest is definitely greater than a year ago. We have such a nice indicator of the number of visits to the library and we always look at the end of the day how many people have entered and we are happy that there are more and more of them year by year.

How are living books, i.e. people telling their stories, selected?

- There are people who simply have an interesting story and draw our attention, but there are also people who are well known to us and we know that they are perfect for the role of a living book, because not everyone can become a living book - emphasizes Joanna Sawicka-Budziak. - It has to be a person who has come to terms with some event in their life, who, for example, has undergone therapy, or is simply strong enough to talk about their experiences. This is a difficult task, because not only does the person have to manage their own emotions, but also the emotions of the reader. Sometimes there are tears, emotion, sometimes great surprise, sometimes joy, sometimes hope, inspiration, so this is a very responsible position. ©℗

(ay)