The most powerful lessons don’t always come from textbooks. Sometimes they come from stepping into someone else’s life. Across Bosnia and Herzegovina, 437 students from 17 primary and secondary schools discovered a different kind of library- one where books breathe, speak, and share their stories.

Through the “Living Library” activity, students stepped into the lives of people whose experiences challenge stereotypes, prejudice, and the labels that often create divisions among peers. For many, it was an eye-opening experience.

“When I first came, I didn’t even know what it was going to be about. I had all kinds of thoughts. Then, when I walked in and saw all the different people, a hundred ideas came to my mind,” said Lea from Elementary School Harmani II in Bihać. “When the conversation started, I realised that I could relate in some ways, and it felt nice to just listen. I learned about their lives and what they have been going through.”

The chance to hear voices that are often silenced or overlooked left an impression on students who admitted they, too, carried biases. “It’s great that we learned something new because we see all kinds of content on the internet and so on. I had some prejudice as well,” reflected Matea from the Fourth Elementary School in Brčko.

For others, the conversations became a mirror held up to society. “Our generations tend to look at themselves as individuals, and not the society as a collective, and how we should all conduct ourselves. We should refrain from judging each other, understand the differences, and accept that it is totally ok,” said Teodora from the Catering School in Banja Luka.

By the end, many students felt they not only expanded their knowledge, but also gained a new worldview. “I am glad we had the opportunity to talk so openly to people we are seeing for the first time, upon whom we would probably, outside of this space and this project, look a bit sideways and already have some prejudice in our minds based on nothing. So, I am very pleased to have participated in this,” said Kristina from the Secondary School Nikola Tesla in Vukosavlje.

The “Living Library” showed these young readers that the most lasting lessons aren’t found on pages - they’re found in listening to the stories of real lives.

The initiative is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, through the action “Towards an equal, inclusive and tolerant Bosnia and Herzegovina,” and the Council of Europe project “Combatting discrimination, hatred and racism in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” which is implemented under the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025.