The basic idea of the European Living Libraries project is to use the Living Library (LL) methodology as an educational and participatory tool. The main goal of the project was to bring human libraries to various cities across Europe and engage citizens from all socioeconomic backgrounds in discussions about the future of Europe and the values that define it, thus contributing to breaking down barriers, prejudices, and stereotypes among them.

The “Living Library” represents a non-formal educational methodology where readers interact with “books” that are actually people with unique identities and life stories, willing to share with anyone who is willing to listen.

The “living books” that participated in the project represent four thematic groups of people who often face discrimination or whose voices are not heard enough: migrants, elderly people, youth, and women. In this way, intercultural dialogue and human rights are promoted to address social inequality faced by some individuals.

As a result of this project, Living Libraries were organized in various European cities: Thessaloniki (Greece), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Bijeljina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Skopje (North Macedonia), Valencia (Spain), and Belgrade (Serbia).

The main product of the project is a series of educational films in which the living books share their opinions, perspectives, and values. These films were distributed to educational centers, youth centers, public institutions, and online, so that everyone could learn from the stories of our living books.