Greetings and Happy Midweek!
And it’s just after mid-month so it’s time for another of our RAP (Review & Process) sessions. In
our Global SKILLs training, ‘Review and Process’ are key components of strategic planning and implementation. Each RAP session we do together here revisits a cross-cultural theme or topic from a previous Connect, going more deeply into what we’ve begun to explore. So today we are going to revisit libraries which we introduced this past summer (check out that August 25th , 2021 post below).
Recently, I read about a fascinating adaptation of traditional libraries, called the Human Library.* This project began over 20 years ago in Denmark and is going strong around the world today. It has developed into an integrated learning model and an incredibly rich cross-cultural resource, with adaptations depending on country and context. The basic idea is, rather than books, to borrow people from different cultures, lifestyles, perspectives, whatever. Through face to face or virtual interactions, the focus is on ‘not judging a book by its cover’ but rather seeking to listen to and learn from others as they express themselves and share from their cultural contexts.
I love this human library model - it fits perfectly into the Collaborative and Transformational PROACTive learning strategies I use in some of my training sessions.* I have been thinking all week of what person I’d like to ‘borrow’ - to learn more about them and better understand their situation. I plan to look more closely at how the Human Library Project is set up, and perhaps get involved.
How about you ~ what kind of person from what cultural context would you like to borrow?
Share about that with a friend or note it here.
And check out the Global SKILLs LINKs below for more on this and other innovative library models.
Thanks for being part of this Connect community.
Until next week,
Betsy
* here is the Human Library’s own website:https://humanlibrary.org/ See below for an additional link with stories from users
** PROACTive Learning Strategies: PRO = PROfile, PROcess, PROgram
ACT = Application, Collaboration and Transformation (which we looked at today)
~ contact me for more information on these strategies and how you might use them in your current programming
Global SKILLs LINKs
~ this story introduced me to Human Libraries and gives some great examples of contemporary meetings: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/14/health/human-library-blake-cec/index.html
~ another global library movement is the Little Free Library which you might have even come across in your own neighborhood: https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/
2021 ~ Celebrating 40 years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
Connecting, Collaborating, Cultivating Community