CALGARY – Calgary’s Mount Royal University is giving students a new way to learn about the world around them.

Along with checking out books, students can sign out a speaker at the university’s Living Library for a 15-minute-long one-on-one discussion.

The speakers, who are also being called “human books,” include a student who survived the Rwandan genocide, a former gang member who now attends the school and an Olympian who beat breast cancer.

Monique Verhoef, diversity and human rights co-ordinator at the university, says she’s seen “human books” work effectively at other educational institutions and public libraries around the world.

Dr. Patricia Pardo is one of the speakers, and will talk to students about her experience of losing her eyesight — she has only three per cent functional vision.

Pardo says she hopes to dispel some of the misinformation about blindness and vision loss.

“Although I am partially sighted and losing my eyesight, that that’s really only one part of who I am,” says Pardo.

“Our society continues to hold some fairly negative values, beliefs and assumptions about blindness that contribute to the way in which people who are blind experience their community and society.”

Business student Kevin Padillo will talk to his peers about his experiences as a member of Calgary’s notorious FOB gang.

“You’re always being told what to do, you’re always going to be under someone unless you’re at the top,” he explains of what that life is like.

“Being in a gang, I realized that you have no autonomy, you may have all this power and respect but it’s not really respect, it’s fear.”

Verhoef says the 10 speakers who will act as “human books” have powerful stories to tell.

“For those that get to listen to the stories, there’s that ability to have an empathetic human connection with someone else,” she says.

“I think the best part is, they get the opportunity later to meet them in the hallway and feel like, `I’ve met you, I know you, we can build a relationship, we can continue to explore stories and explore our community.’ “

(CTV Calgary)