Amnesty Against Extremism in Slovakia

Amnesty International does more than just investigate the violation of human rights when this becomes an acute issue; it tries to prevent this problem from arising in the first place. 

Our real aim is to help stop the abuse of human rights and mobilize the public; this can in turn put pressure on governments, armed political groups and intergovernmental groups by means of public protests, direct lobbying, targeted appeals in favor of individuals, e-mail petitions and other online activities, partnerships with local groups who are leading campaigns, community activities, and cooperation with student groups. 

This project is aimed at eliminating all forms of prejudice that can grow into young people´s mind if they are not aware of the damages such a behavior can cause on people who are the victims of this prejudice. With this project, they are able to hear a mind-changing story.

Instead of books, young people in the Living Library can “borrow” a person with an interesting life story, who they would probably never talk to in real life, and ask about anything that interests them. The people that the students get to meet are members of minorities living here. Among the “books” on offer you will find heroes from different ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, professions and lifestyles.

The project allows young people to meet with real heroes and hear incredible life stories, and therefore gain an immediate experience with the previously unknown destinies of these real people. This personal experience will allow them to find out what their stance is towards many issues, how they react to differences, and what the difference is between their ideas on an issue and the reality. Thus, the Living Library helps overcome fear of the unknown; it refutes stereotypes, teaches respect and understanding, and, last but not least, it gives the opportunity for people to form their own opinions and gain new experiences.

Living Libraries work in a way similar to classic ones. This means that the participants are the Books, Readers, Librarians and Support Staff, who secure this event from the organizational point of view.

Your donation, be it big or small, will help actively educate the younger generation in tolerance, understanding and respect for human rights and freedom.

You can take now the time to read some testimonies collected among the young people who had the opportunity to listen to one of those human books, to see how important it is that we carry on our action.

1. Samuel, Dumbierska Elementary School, Banská Bystrica

 “I started to behave with more tolerance towards people, I stopped having inhibitions when talking to strangers, and I made new friends. I started to be interested in international affairs. Before that I was indifferent; I thought it did not concern me. Today I can empathize more with others. I also visit the Amnesty International website from time to time and read through the latest news.”

2. Saša, Evangelical Lyceum, Bratislava

 “From my point of view, my attitude towards strangers changed. I myself have an unconventional style, and I used to look differently at people, condemning them. When I worked behind the counter at Tesco, a family came in with two white boys and one Roma boy. For their shopping they received some stickers, I gave them enough so each of them would get two. First one of the white boys wanted to keep them all, but his parent told them to share, but only with one of the other boys: the white one. I gave extra stickers to the Roma boy, but he told me to leave it be; he said he’s used to this. Then I started to think about why people within a family would look down on each other. Retrospectively, I looked at my own behavior and found out that for no reason I used to look down on people too. It’s something I strive not to do anymore.”

3. Noemi, Evangelical Lyceum, Bratislava

 “Thanks to the Living Library I realized how children in Afghanistan grew up and how I grew up, and I mean what luxury I had compared to them. I often think about how the world works, how often people give themselves power over others. I think about what I can do about it.”

4. Adéla

 “I was most influenced by Zuzana, a Book from the Living Library, who had got into drugs. Since then I try to judge people by their personal story, and not condemn them on the basis of their appearance. That has led me to a more understanding approach towards minorities”

5. Michèle, Na Vítezné pláni Secondary School

 “In the future I’d like to study international affairs. Thanks to this project, I found out where the greatest need of change was and that I have an opportunity to help people. This project showed me a way to do this.”

6. Johana, Na Vítezné pláni Secondary School

 “Thanks to this project, I found out that a lot of interesting life stories are out there. I was most intrigued by the story of a certain woman from Vietnam whose family had had a rough destiny brought on by the father publishing a certain magazine.”

7. Ludovít, Dumbierska Elementary School, Banská Bystrica

 “I think that the Living Libraries were the best. They also showed me that although the stories of the Living Books always had a happy ending, it doesn’t have to be that way.

8. Jozefína

 “I was most intrigued by the story of a Vietnamese woman who did not feel at home neither here nor in Vietnam. In the future I will try more to perceive and understand other people.” 

9. Terka, Biskupské Secondary School

 “The stories from the Living Library that interested me most were the stories of a man without a home and of a woman who was blind. I was very surprised by the man. In the past I had certain prejudices against homeless people because I imagined someone who was drunk and who bothers you. But thanks to this man, I understood that there are people who end up on the street blamelessly, and it was interesting to find out how easy it was to end up there. In the Living Library they instructed us on how to behave when we meet someone who is blind. Not so long ago, I met one lady who looked very lost. She wanted to catch the number 4 bus. But she had got lost, so I helped her.”

10. Adéla

 “The biggest difference for me was that in the past human rights organizations did not interest me: joining was pointless. The Living Library opened my eyes. Now I think that a person can’t be totally indifferent. Today I would join something similar to this without a doubt. The project showed me that change is not only that posters are hanging somewhere, or that flyers are distributed. In the end it is possible to achieve change.”

11. Elementary school, Banská Štiavnica

 “In my opinion, the Living Library is more interesting, and I have had a better experience from it than from reading a regular book. Thanks to the library, I meet new people and can better identify with their story. It also allows us to ask questions because it takes place in the form of a dialogue. The mood during the project was pleasant. We learned a lot of new and interesting things, and some of us changed our opinions of people who we would have previously condemned or abused. Because a lot of young people are biased towards minorities. We got to know three stories from the lives of other people, what happened to them, and how they live. We learned a lesson from the Living Library. We liked the Living Library, and it gave us a lot of good life advice. I talked with a homosexual for the first time in my life. It captivated all of us, and we would certainly like to repeat this sometime in the future.”