Wright Family Foundation Hosts Unique ‘Human Library’ Event at Escape! Festival

April 29, 2016: Don’t judge a book by its cover: it’s a well-known adage and the message at the heart of the Wright Family Foundation.

Now the local not-for-profit organisation is putting the metaphor into action – literally – by hosting a Human Library event at the upcoming Escape! festival in Tauranga.

This unique event sees everyday Kiwis become ‘books’ available for ‘loan’ in a ‘library’ – Baycourt’s Addison Theatre. Just as you would go to a library to check out a title, to learn and explore a whole new world within its pages, so too will you learn and discover eye-opening stories through real-life conversation with these ‘books’.

The goal is to start discussion, to challenge stereotypes, find out about how the other half lives or bond over your similarities. The Human Library is designed to be a safe and positive space, in which ‘readers’ can have meaningful conversations with people they might not have otherwise met.

The Wright Family Foundation’s Human Library event is being held in conjunction with the foundation’s ground-breaking People Matter TV initiative, which has been playing on our screens this month.

The clips, played around primetime TV shows, feature 30-second interviews with random Kiwis from around the country. The short videos are designed to provide insight into how everyday New Zealanders live, with a wider goal of connecting people through the power of a friendly conversation.

This unique approach is something founder Chloe Wright believes is essential to building strong communities, and is excited about putting the concept of People Matter into action through the Human Library.

“It’s a perfect fit with what the foundation is trying to achieve and the idea of a Human Library really resonated with me. How often do we get the chance to actually talk, face-to-face, with someone about real-life issues? It’s about asking those questions that get to the heart of who someone is, without judging them on appearance.”

With each ‘book’ available from 10am-2pm at Baycourt, you’ll get a chance to ‘check out’ the faces behind the stories and get to know them through a one-on-one conversation. And who knows? Their view of the world may make you see yours differently.

Mrs Wright is excited about supporting this confronting, yet rewarding, venture and says the possibility for meaningful human interaction is endless.

“As Kiwis, we’re not used to opening up to strangers in such a head-on way, but that’s why I think this event is a real opportunity to break down those barriers – for both our ‘books’ and our ‘readers’.”

Tauranga Arts Festival is celebrating its second Escape! festival at Queen’s Birthday weekend (June 3-6) and associate director Claire Mabey is thrilled to be bringing such a diverse and thought-provoking programme.

“Escape! is rich with insights into many different worlds. The Human Library is an interactive project that allows a one-on-one experience with people who will inspire you on a truly human level. We’re delighted to be presenting this with the foundation as a free element to the programme.”

The Human Library, or ‘Menneskebiblioteket’ as it is called in Danish, was developed in Copenhagen in 2000, as a project for Roskilde Festival by Ronni Abergel, his brother Dany and colleagues Asma Mouna and Christoffer Erichsen.

The original event was open eight hours a day, four days straight, and featured more than 50 different ‘books’. Thousands of ‘readers’ took advantage of this inaugural event, leaving books, librarians, organisers and readers stunned at the impact of the Human Library.

The Wright Family Foundation, established in March 2015 by Bay of Plenty residents Chloe and Wayne, is the driving force behind a number of key organisations and events in New Zealand – all with the aim of helping individuals achieve their goals through the power of education.

These include the Kids’ Lit Quiz, NZ Spelling Bee, the Plain English Awards, House of Science, Plunket and BestStart Educare (formerly Kidicorp).

To see more about the Wright Family Foundation’s Human Library ‘books’, watch the People Matter videos on the website: www.wrightfamilyfoundation.org.nz

-END-

© Scoop Media