Today I've been working in the city, at the Forum, as part of a conference for all involved with housing and supporting offenders and the homeless.
After a couple of hours on reception duties, I went to work at the Human Library. I'm so enthusiastic about this project, I don't quite know where to begin...
Simply put, it is an amazing way of sharing stories and challenging our preconceptions and prejudices.
Anyone can come along, sign up for a library card and borrow a book, but instead of getting a paperback they get a person for half an hour.
The book is a volunteer with a story to tell. Both parties agree to respect the other and are open to asking any question (either has the option of not answering)... it is a fabulous way of discovering that, in spite of the labels we might give people or the judgements we might make, real people with real experiences are not always what we've thought!
I so wanted my camera as I watched a group of college students studying health and social care, in their lunch break, having a fascinating discussion with a working girl who was on the streets in Ipswich when the infamous murders occurred. Their faces were... priceless.
Then there was the teenager who opted to talk to a female police chief, or the young woman who had a lengthy conversation with a guy who'd been street homeless...
I learned things from people who showed and interest in the idea, like the very 'respectable' guy who asked what was happening and when I explained he shared that he'd been homeless not so long ago, and it was the kindness of a librarian, who issued him with a library card even though he had no fixed address, that started him on the road to recovery... someone had a little faith and trust in him.
HumanLibrary isn't new - although it's relatively early days here in the UK... I'm so excited by it, I'm going to be helping out this Saturday, 3rd October at an event in Magdalen Street (by Anglia Square if you're familiar with Norwich) between 12 and 2pm.
The main launch is at the Forum on 3rd November... I hope to be around for that too.
More details in general are HERE ... meanwhile, can you inagine this as a tool for sharing OUR stories... whose prejudices might we challenge and what difference might we make?
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