Human Library event aims to help students develop meaningful relationships

A new non-profit organization is helping students develop meaningful relationships on campus.

The Human Book Collection (THBC), started by fourth-year Health Sciences student Kaesavan Selvakumaran, provides an environment for students to develop personal relationships with people from different lifestyles and backgrounds than their own.

“Research shows that Millennials struggle with the art of having in-person conversations,” says Selvakumaran. He says this can be attributed to being part of the social media generation.

In an effort to help students to reconnect authentically, THBC decided to organize a Human Library at McMaster on April 4.

In partnership with the Equity and Inclusion Office, the Human Library will provide students with the opportunity to get to know someone of a unique background or lifestyle. Instead of going to a library to read a book, a student is able to go to this library to read a “living” book, known as a human book.

Students will have 30-40 minute, one-on-one conversations to get a chance to listen to unique stories and experiences. THBC hopes that students will be able to leave the event with more compassion, empathy, and most of all, having established a new, meaningful connection.

This concept was inspired by the “Stop the Violence” movement first held in 2000 in Denmark. Using a library analogy for “human books” and “readers,” the organization provided a platform for people to openly address and challenge prejudices and stereotypes through structured conversations. Since then, the concept of the Human Library has been introduced in more than 80 countries, becoming a global movement for social change.

The current collection of Human Books has participants from communities including but not limited to LBGTQ+, racialized communities and Indigenous persons. The goal of the Human Library is to break down stereotypes, prejudices and misunderstandings to help to strengthen the McMaster community by celebrating its inherent diversity.

The event takes place at the Jan and Mien Heersink Reading Pavilion in the Health Science Library which will be transformed into an inclusive, confidential, and non-judgmental space.

This event is for anyone who is interested in respectfully learning about different perspectives or to gain new support systems within the McMaster community.

The synopsis of each Human Book can be found on the THBC website.

See the Human Book Collection Facebook page for more information about the event.