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Read a ‘human book’ at this unique and intimate event

The Human Open Book project is an opportunity to have deep and revealing conversations with people from different lived experiences.

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Free Malaysia Today
Sara Wardah shares her traumatic experience as a refugee in the first ‘Human Open Book’ session. (Ideas International pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:
What questions would spring to mind if you were given one hour to ask a complete stranger about their background and experiences?

One social enterprise transitioning into a private international secondary school called Ideas International is giving you the chance to do precisely that in an upcoming event called the Human Open Book.

The event will feature neurodivergent speakers who will share their unique experiences as autistics in an intimate, no holds barred setting.

“You get the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with people from diverse backgrounds, people that you normally wouldn’t be meeting.

“The goal is to break barriers, stigma and stereotypes that people may have and to foster that personal connection,” explained Stephanie van Aken, spokesperson for Ideas International.

The panel of speakers include Ideas Academy alumni Sara Wardah; conservation consultant Adeline Hii; autistic-led advocacy group Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group founder Beatrice Leong; counsellor Ch’ng Bao Zhong; clinical researcher Dr Chai Jingyun, teacher Melanie Lim; music producer and lawyer Raul Lee Bhaskaran; clinical cardiologist Dr Rowina Lynne Murray; and Jerry Tong, an advocate for autism.

Free Malaysia Today
Stephanie van Aken hopes to foster empathy and compassion through the Human Open Book project. (Ideas International pic)

van Aken stated that it was the students at Ideas International who inspired her to consider this project.

“Many of our students are refugees and hearing their stories and incredible journeys made me realise it is really important to share these stories with other people,” she said, adding that one-to-one conversations were unique in that it helped dispel common misconceptions and fears about people from different backgrounds.

She also shared that conceptually, the Human Open Book was inspired by the Human Library in Denmark, a social learning platform where instead of borrowing a book, you get to “borrow” a person to “read” them.

Readers can engage in an open and honest dialogue with the human books, who come from a variety of backgrounds like the homeless, recovering addicts or victims of rape and abuse.

Free Malaysia Today
Sara’s story highlighted her resilience in the face of hardship. (Ideas International pic)

The Human Open Book kicked off on Oct 7 with Sara Wardah, a 23-year-old Syrian refugee who talked about her tumultuous journey from her war-torn homeland to Malaysia. She also spoke about her student years at Ideas Academy and her current path to become an ethical hacker.

Sara said some of her experiences were “very painful” to discuss. However, she was grateful to have inspired others with her hope and resilience.

Meanwhile, Raul Lee Bhaskaran will discuss pervasive demand avoidance (PDA) autism on Oct 21 from 2pm-4pm. His aim is to show the audience that autism does not have “a look”.

Free Malaysia Today
(From left) Dr Chai Jingyun, Raul Lee Bhaskaran and Melanie Lim are neurodiverse speakers. (Ideas International pic)

Beatrice Leong, on the other hand, will share something more personal on Oct 22 from 2pm-4pm.

“When I received my autism diagnosis at 35, I realised how little we understood about autism and how the perceptions about autistics are so different from how we actually experience the world,” she said.

Her journey took her on a path of advocacy and further deepened the awareness of her rights as an individual to live as she is in society. “So I will focus a lot on what autism advocacy is and what I am fighting for,” she said.

The speakers said having a platform like the Human Open Book was important and for various reasons.

“We can’t learn and grow as people – and as a society – if all we know are the things around us. We need constant exposure to different things – people, faith, sexualities, gender, neurotypes, disabilities, race – in order to expand our empathy and knowledge,” said Melanie Lim.

“If you want to learn something, hear it from the horse’s mouth. More than ever now, the voices of those with lived experiences are extremely important,” added Leong.

For van Aken, the project is about creating empathy, awareness and understanding.

“I don’t think we can coexist with intolerance, hate and fear when we are aware and understand. We may not agree but we can understand and that can make the world more compassionate and empathetic,” she said.

The Human Open Book

Date: Oct 21 & 22

Venue: BookXcess, MyTown Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Entry is free but registration is required as seats are limited. To register, click here.

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