The primary school "Dragan Marinković" in Adrani, Kraljevo, recently hosted its fifth annual "Living Library" event, a powerful educational manifestation organised under the joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Quality Education for All." Under the evocative title "The Strength of Choice" (Snaga izbora), the event transformed traditional learning into a deeply personal exchange of human experiences. The "Living Library" functions exactly like a real library - except the "books" are people with unique life stories, and the "reading" is a face-to-face conversation.
This year’s programme featured four profound "living books," representing vulnerable social groups whose stories challenged stereotypes and promoted the core values of the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC):
- The story of a person’s life following a heart transplant.
- "Where Fear Ends, I Begin": A courageous testimonial from a survivor of domestic violence.
- "The Choice That Brings Peace": The spiritual and life journey of a nun.
- "Home in My Heart": A narrative about the journey from Syria and finding a new home in Serbia.
By engaging directly with these narratives, students and members of the local community practiced critical thinking and empathy, moving beyond prejudice to understand the complexities of human dignity and resilience.
The event was facilitated by the school's dedicated team of educators, who have integrated the "Living Library" as a staple of their democratic school culture. This methodology allows students to develop competences for democratic culture not through theory, but through the emotional and ethical engagement required to hear and respect the others.
The action “Quality education for all” is part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.
