Talk to people one-on-one about their diverse experiences.
Saturday, January 28, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION STARTS AT 10:45 A.M.
The concept
An individual accepts to take part in the event as a Book
Book reservations for specific time slots will be available the day of the event, at each site
Books get "checked out" for 20 minutes by a Reader
Readers can register for only 1 book at a time. First come, first served.
Background
Launched in Denmark in 2000, the Human Library was a way to focus on anti-violence, encourage dialogue and build relations. It has grown in popularity with 27 countries taking part in 2008, including Brazil, China, Columbia, Cyprus, Malaysia and South Africa.
1. The Reader must be respectful in his or her questions and conversation with the Book.
2. The Reader accepts the fact that the Book can quit the conversation if he or she feels that the Reader treats him or her in an inappropriate or disrespectful manner.
3. The loan period is for 20 minutes. The loan can be extended up to 10 minutes if both Book and Reader agree.
4. The Reader must not record, videotape or take pictures of the Book.
5. The Reader is not allowed to ask the Book for personal contact information.
Robyn Bresnahan is the new host of CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning, the city’s #1 morning show. She got her start at the CBC but has worked most recently for the BBC World Service in London making documentaries and hosting a variety of programs. Robyn has covered stories around the world, including Paris, the Ivory Coast and Louisiana, which she visited after the recent oil spill.
Languages: English and French
Robyn Bresnahan est la nouvelle animatrice d'Ottawa Morning à CBC, l'émission de radio matinale la plus populaire de la ville d'Ottawa. Bien qu'ayant débuté sa carrière à CBC, elle a récemment travaillé auBBC World Service à Londres, produisant des documentaires et animant différentes émissions. Robyn a couvert plusieurs événements dans le monde entier, notamment à Paris, en Côte d'Ivoire et en Louisiane, où elle s'est rendue à la suite du déversement de pétrole qui est récemment survenu dans la région.
Carl Burkett used to work in marketing at a Crown Corporation. At 45 he took a buyout to help start a new direct marketing business and five years later, on a whim, he decided to apply to OC Transpo. He's been behind the wheel of a bus for almost a decade.
For many years, Albert Dumont struggled with an alcohol addiction. But in 1989, after watching a grieving mother confront an impaired driver at the Ottawa Courthouse, he began his road to sobriety. Dumont, a poet, now works as a spiritual advisor for Aboriginal offenders in the Maximum Security Unit of a federal prison.
William Lau's parents always hoped he would study engineering. He decided to pursue a master's degree in dance instead. William specializes in an ancient Chinese art form called Peking Opera. He plays the lead female characters known as the "Dan." In fact, he's the only person in Canada trained in all four Dan styles.
Languages: English, French, Mandarin and Cantonese
Les parents de William Lau avaient toujours espéré qu’il ferait des études d’ingénieur. Il décide plutôt de compléter une maîtrise en danse. William se spécialise dans une forme ancienne d’art chinois intitulée l’opéra de Pékin. Il y joue le personnage féminin principal connu sous le nom du « Dan ». En fait, il est la seule personne au Canada ayant la formation dans les quatre styles de Dan.
Hared Digale's family fled Kismayo, Somalia when he was three years old. He spent the next 18 years living and studying inside the world's largest refugee camp in Kenya. Now he studies accounting on a World University Service Canada scholarship at Carleton University.
Chelby Daigle was raised by her single mom and grew up in a white family, but the colour of Chelby's skin was a daily reminder of her black father, who was deported back to Nigeria when she was just a baby. When Chelby was eight, she discovered and clung to a photograph of her dad that she found tucked inside an old typewriter. As a young adult, Chelby had a chance encounter at the Embassy of Nigeria in Ottawa that helped launch her search for her absent father.
Languages: English and French
Chelby Daigle, élevée par sa mère célibataire, grandit dans une famille blanche, mais la couleur de la peau de Chelby est un rappel quotidien de son père noir, expulsé au Nigeria quand elle n’est encore qu’un bébé. À huit ans, Chelby découvre à l’intérieur d’une vieille machine à écrire une photo de son père, et elle s’y accroche. Arrivée à l’âge adulte, Chelby a la chance de rencontrer quelqu’un à l’ambassade du Nigeria qui l’aide à entamer ses recherches pour retrouver son père absent.
Travailleuse sociale préposée à la protection de la jeunesse
Nathalie Chapdelaine works for the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa and has held many roles in her career as a Child Welfare Worker. Currently, Nathalie is working with the Kinship Services team, providing support to families who are caring for a child of a family member or loved one.
Languages: English and French
Nathalie Chapdelaine travaille à la Société d’aide à l’enfance d’Ottawa et, au cours sa carrière, elle a occupé de nombreuses fonctions. Présentement, Nathalie fait partie de l’équipe de placement dans la parenté, soutenant les famillesqui s’occupent de l’enfant d’un membre de la famille ou d’un proche.
Zijad Delic was born in Bosnia, and that's where he trained as an Imam. His religious scholarship has taken him to Islamabad (Pakistan), Oregon and British Columbia. Imam Delic currently serves the South Nepean Muslim Community.
Sue Jones comes from a family of police officers and she always thought she would be one, too. But she changed her mind after she spotted a recruitment poster for the Ottawa Fire Services featuring a female firefighter. Sue has been extinguishing fires for the past five years.
Claude Lurette's cocaine addiction led him to lose his family, friends and job. And it literally took an earthquake to convince him to get sober and manage his bi-polar condition.
Languages: English and French
À cause de sa dépendance à la cocaïne, Claude Lurette a perdu sa famille, ses amis et son travail. Il a littéralement fallu un tremblement de terre pour le convaincre de rester sobre et de prendre son trouble bipolaire en main.
Tony Hajjar has been behind the wheel of a taxi for more than 30 years. His road stories include encounters with everyone from prime ministers to Monica Lewinsky.
Dr. Michael Vassilyadi operates on infants and children with disorders of the brain and spine. When not at CHEO, Dr. Vassilyadi is advocating for injury prevention with the ThinkFirst Foundation of Canada. Keep an eye out for Dr. Vassilyadi on the Rideau Canal during Winterlude – he will be handing out little sponge brains to children wearing properly fitted hockey helmets.
Languages: English and French
Dr Michael Vassilyadi opère des bébés et des enfants atteints de traumatismes crâniens et médullaires. Lorsqu’il n’est pas au CHEO, Dr Vassilyadi milite pour la prévention des traumatismes à la Fondation Canadienne Pensez d’Abord. Soyez alertes durant le Bal des Neiges, vous pourrez voir le Dr Vassilyadi sur le Canal Rideau en train de distribuer des petits cerveaux en éponge aux enfants avec un casque protecteur de hockey bien ajusté.
Tuulia Law grew tired of being over-worked and under-paid in the restaurant industry, so she tried stripping. Now she works at an Ottawa club. She also does advocacy with the group Students For Sex Workers.
Languages: English and French
N’en pouvant plus de travailler de longues heures pour un salaire de misère dans le milieu de la restauration, Tuulia Law a essayé de travailler comme danseuse nue. Aujourd’hui, elle travaille dans un club d’Ottawa. Elle milite aussi avec le groupe d’étudiants pour les travailleurs du sexe pour la défense de leurs droits.
Alan Neal is the host of CBC Radio’s All in a Day (91.5 FM) - Ottawa's #1 afternoon drive home show. Alan grew up in Ottawa and went to Carleton University’s School of Journalism here. He has hosted Ontario Today, Bandwidth, and the network music show FUSE. Alan's work has won him several awards including, most recently, the New York Festival Silver Medal.
As a teen, Laurie Maus tossed aside the teen magazines in favour of the Holstein Friesian Journal. Her family has farmed since the 1750s. And after a career in the public service and beyond, Maus returned to the land to start-up Hawk Hill Farm in North Glengarry Township.
When she was in her mid-twenties, Chantale Dumas decided to ditch her cubicle job and climb behind the wheel of an ambulance. Now her job involves doing such things as pulling over at an accident scene on the Queensway and then crawling under an upside-down pick-up truck to pull a patient to safety. Chantale has six years of experience as a primary care paramedic.
Languages: English and French
Alors qu’elle est dans la mi-vingtaine, Chantale Dumas décide de laisser tomber son travail de bureau dans son cubicule pour grimper derrière le volant d’une ambulance. Son travail consiste maintenant à faire des choses comme se rabattre sur le côté du Queensway près du lieu d’un accident, puis de ramper sous un camion renversé sur le toit pour en sortir une personne et l’amener en lieu sûr. Chantale possède six ans d’expérience en tant que paramédicale en soins primaires.
As a young woman, Shirley Gagnon left the Attawapiskat Reserve for Ottawa, to study at Algonquin College. It didn't take her long to find the Odawa Native Friendship Centre. For the past 35 years she has been volunteering with the centre, helping enrich the lives of Aboriginal people in the capital.
After experiencing abuse in a foster home, Brigitte Renaud started using drugs and alcohol in elementary school. Her substance abuse escalated over the years. Brigitte's daughter was removed from her home. Then she had what she describes as a 'near-death experience.' Afterwards, Brigitte went to rehab for the seventh time. She has been sober for four years now and continues to take one day at a time.
Languages: English and French
Après avoir été victime d’abus dans un foyer d’accueil, Brigitte Renaud s’est mise à prendre de la drogue et de l’alcool alors qu’elle était à l’école primaire. Sa toxicomanie s’est aggravée au fil du temps. On lui a retiré sa fille. Par la suite, elle a vécu ce qu’elle qualifie d’expérience de « vie après la mort ». À la suite de cette expérience, Brigitte a suivi une septième cure de désintoxication. Elle est sobre depuis maintenant quatre ans et continue à prendre la vie un jour à la fois.
A doctor diagnosed Theresa Dupuis with acute glaucoma just before Christmas 1990. He told her she'd go blind within 10 years. Theresa now considers her vision loss as a gift and swears she wouldn't take her sight back if offered to her. The octogenarian loves cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, kayaking, yoga and meditation.
Languages: English and French
Peu de temps avant Noël, en 1990, un médecin émet un diagnostic de glaucome aigu à l’endroit de Theresa Dupuis. Il lui dit alors qu’elle sera aveugle dans les 10 ans. Theresa considère maintenant le fait d’avoir perdu la vue comme un cadeau et affirme qu’elle ne voudrait pas recouvrer la vue même si elle en avait la possibilité. Cette octogénaire adore faire du ski de fond, de la raquette, du kayak, adore le yoga et la méditation.
Kauthar Mohamed co-owns a restaurant in Ottawa. She also helped found the local group Voices of Muslim Youth. Through VOMY, Kauthar organizes town hall meetings ranging from mental health to election engagement that aim to promote unity within the Muslim community and develop youth leaders.
Languages: English, French and Somali
Kauthar Mohamed est copropriétaire d'un restaurant à Ottawa. Elle a également contribué à la fondation du groupe local Voices of Muslim Youth. Par le biais de VOMY, Kauthar met sur pied des séances de discussion ouverte sur des questions allant de la santé mentale à l'engagement en période d'élections, afin de favoriser l'unité de la communauté musulmane et l'épanouissement des jeunes leaders.
Adrian Harewood is the co-host of CBC News Ottawa Monday to Friday starting at 5 p.m, and host of the late night news each weeknight at 10:55 p.m. He grew up in Ottawa. Adrian first got the broadcasting bug when he volunteered at campus stations CHUO and CKCU here. He has filled in as host on such well-known programs as As It Happens and Sounds Like Canada.
Languages: English and French
Adrian Harewood est coanimateur de l'émissionCBC News Ottawa du lundi au vendredi à partir de 17 h, ainsi qu'animateur des nouvelles de fin de soirée tous les soirs de semaine à 22 h 55. Il a grandi à Ottawa. Adrian a attrapé la piqûre de la diffusion lorsqu'il a fait du bénévolat dans les stations de radio locales CHUO et CKCU. Il a été animateur remplaçant dans le cadre d'émissions bien connues, telles qu’As It Happens et Sounds Like Canada.
As a girl, Heidi Langille identified mainly with the Dutch side of her family. But having kids of her own encouraged Langille to embrace the Inuk side of her identity. She went on to help found the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre.
Constable Marc Soucy began his policing career serving summonses and catching dogs as a cadet with the Gloucester Police. He went on to work as a detective in the Child Abuse Section, and then a Resource Officer in high schools. These days he works for Ottawa Police Service and responds to calls from the media.
Languages: English and French
Le constable Marc Soucy commence sa carrière dans la police en citant des gens à comparaître et en attrapant des chiens en tant que cadet au sein du service de police de Gloucester. Il est ensuite détective à la section des enfants maltraités, puis agent-ressource dans les écoles secondaires. Ces derniers temps, il travaille pour le service de police d’Ottawa et répond aux demandes des médias.
After receiving daily death threats in Haiti, Scheida Prince fled to Canada, hoping her five-year-old son could soon follow. Two months later, the earthquake struck. Her son survived and with some help from Canadian friends, joined her in Ottawa. Now Scheida's got a job working for the federal government.
Languages: English and French
Après avoir reçu des menaces quotidiennes de mort en Haïti, Scheida Prince s’est envolée pour le Canada en chérissant l’espoir que son fils de cinq ans la suivrait peu de temps après. Deux mois plus tard, le tremblement de terre a frappé Haïti. Son fils a survécu et grâce à l’aide d’amis canadiens, il est venu retrouver sa mère à Ottawa. Aujourd’hui, Scheida travaille pour le gouvernement fédéral.
Marc Messier started out as a dispatcher with the Gloucester Fire Department. But it wasn't long before he decided to respond to the calls himself and become a firefighter. Over the past 22 years he's worked on the high-angle, water, and confined spaces rescue teams.
Languages: English and French
Marc Messier commence sa carrière comme répartiteur au service des incendies de Gloucester. Il ne met pas longtemps à se décider de répondre lui-même aux appels et de devenir pompier. Au cours des 22 dernières années, il a travaillé dans les équipes de sauvetage en hauteur, sur l’eau et en espaces clos.
Angus Smith grew up across the street from a synagogue. His friends were Jewish. And so was his mother's side of the family. But it wasn't until he became an adult that he felt ready to fully embrace Judaism and convert.
For 21 years, Justice Dianne Nicholas has presided over criminal cases at the Ottawa Courthouse. You can often find her on the bench in the special Youth Court.
Languages: English and French
Pendant 21 ans, la juge Dianne Nicholas a présidé les cas criminels au palais de justice d’Ottawa. On peut souvent la trouver sur le banc dans le tribunal spécial pour les adolescents.
Grant Cobb has been living with HIV for 16 years. For the first decade, he kept his status mostly private. But he came to accept his HIV after going to counselling at the Ottawa AIDS Committee. Now he works there, helping people who are HIV-positive learn to survive and thrive.
Paul Morisset gathers video for CBC News Ottawa five days a week. He started with the CBC more than 30 years ago as a film sound man. In his role, Paul has zig-zagged the country during federal elections, gone to Ireland to cover the Air India crash, and been shot at in El Salvador.
Languages: English and French
Paul Morisset filme des images pour CBC News Ottawa cinq jours par semaine. Il a débuté sa carrière à CBC il y a plus de 30 ans, à titre de technicien du son. Paul a sillonné le pays d'un bout à l'autre pendant les élections fédérales, s'est rendu en Irlande pour couvrir l'écrasement d'avion de la compagnie aérienne Air India et a été la cible de coups de feu au Salvador.
Growing up in Alberta and Ontario, Lynda Brown sometimes hid her Inuk identity. But after moving to Ottawa and starting a family of her own, she now teaches kids and families at the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre to be proud of who they are.
Language: English
OC Transpo driver
When Jim Smith started out with OC Transpo, he drove the early morning shift. After more than three decades on the job, as he prepares for retirement, he's back picking up passengers on those first runs of the day.
Benoit Jolicoeur decided to pursue this profession as a teen, after seeing paramedics in action while on a police ride-along. Now he responds to medical calls and, as a Tactical Paramedic, Benoit even slips on a bullet proof vest and helmet when he joins the police on high-risk calls such as drug raids, hostage takings or suspect stand-offs.
Languages: English and French
Benoit Jolicoeur décide de devenir ambulancier paramédical à l’adolescence, après avoir vu des ambulanciers paramédicaux à l’œuvre pendant qu’ils accompagnaient les policiers lors d’une patrouille. Aujourd’hui, il répond aux appels de nature médicale et, à titre d’ambulancier paramédical tacticien, Benoit enfile même une veste pare-balles et un casque lorsqu’il se joint à la police au cours d’opérations à haut risque comme les descentes antidrogue, les prises d’otage ou les impasses avec les suspects.
Catherine Purdie was born male, but always felt like a woman. A few years ago, Catherine began hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery to adapt her male body to match her female mind. She now lives as a woman and a lesbian, and advocates for transgender rights.
It was a brief brush with the law at the age of 10 that inspired Staff Sergeant Kal Ghadban to join the police. Over the years he's worked on patrol, as a homicide detective, and now as the Staff Sergeant of the Street Crime Unit / Break & Enter Team.
Language: English
CBC Video-Journalist /
Vidéojournaliste pour CBC
Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco was a bicycle courier before he decided to go to journalism school. Even before he had graduated, he started at CBC Ottawa as the morning traffic reporter. Now he is a video-journalist in the CBC Ottawa newsroom, filing stories each day for CBC News Ottawa. You can see him on television each weekday starting at 5 p.m.
Languages: English, French and Spanish
Avant d'entreprendre ses études en journalisme, Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco a été messager à vélo. Avant même d'obtenir son diplôme, il a débuté sa carrière à CBC Ottawa en tant que reporter à la circulation pour le bulletin de nouvelles du matin. Il est maintenant vidéojournaliste à la salle de presse de CBC Ottawa, créant des reportages quotidiens pour l'émission CBC News Ottawa. Vous pouvez le voir à la télévision tous les jours de la semaine à partir de 17 h.
When she signed up to participate in the Canadian Forces Artists Program in 2007, Karen Bailey never expected to be sent to Afghanistan. Learn how her experiences there changed her life.
In the middle of the Great Depression, 12-year-old John Bradley travelled with his parents to Europe, where he saw the Vimy monument, and mingled with First World War veterans and royalty. He has returned numerous times. Find out why John believes it is so important to go back.
Warrant Officer Stéphanie Cyr has had an impressive career with the Canadian Forces Infantry. Deployed to Afghanistan for combat, she wound up working within the Afghan community. Come hear about her moving experiences. Bilingue
Life was exciting for 11-year-old Alec Douglas as he sailed from Liverpool to New York, and then travelled by train to Canada where he spent the next three years away from his widowed mother living with a family friend.
From Canada to Italy and the Netherlands, and back again
Hunter Dunn’s remarkable journey took him from Montreal to the battlefields of Sicily and then to the Netherlands, where he was part of the contingent that participated in the liberation of Puten in 1945.
Throughout an impressive 42-year career with the Canadian Forces, Lieutenant-General Richard Évraire never once doubted his choice. He even wrote a play on the topic. Come and discover the motivation that drives him. Bilingue
Survival tools
As one of eight boys in his family, Maurice Gauthier learned a lot about determination and confidence. These lessons helped him survive fierce battles in the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Humanitarian mission to Haiti
Four hours before he was to return to Canada from his nine-month humanitarian mission to Haiti in January 2010, Agent Jonathan Hatfield of the Sureté du Québec saw his whole world come tumbling down when the earthquake struck. He stayed and lived an unforgettable experience. Bilingue
Make a difference!
Ted Itani is a retired soldier and a Humanitarian Advisor for the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre. During his diverse UN missions in such places as Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, he has seen the human cost of conflict, but still believes that we change the world “one person at a time.”
Master Warrant Officer Carl Kletke, a Field Engineer with the Canadian Forces, deployed to Bosnia in 1998. As part of NATO’s Stabilization Force (SFOR), Carl worked eight to ten hours a day for eight months helping to clear areas known to be mined.
Nelson Langevin had always wanted to travel, so he signed up for the navy. He quickly learned the reality of war in Dieppe, Algeria and Sicily. Bilingue
1974 Mission in the Middle East
Marcel Lavigne spent six months in the desert with the UN, in temperatures soaring above 35C, with no internet and no cell phone: the only way to contact his friends and family was to write them. Could you do it? Bilingue
Mentoring Afghanistan Police
As a Canadian military police officer, Reservist Adam Leclerc spent seven months with the POMLT (Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team) training Afghan police to deal with security issues. Bilingue
Stephen Murphy is a Unit Chief Petty Officer who works in the Electronic Warfare Centre at National Defence. In 2006, Steve took part in numerous operations in the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and off the west coast of Africa. The operations included combating piracy and illegal immigration, Maritime Domain Awareness, drug interdiction, and hunting terrorists.
United Nations Emergency Forces
Tim Smith followed his family’s proud military tradition and joined the army, ultimately rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Tim then left the Forces, but not before he had been on some very special missions, including his posting in Egypt with the first UN Emergency Force (UNEF 1).
The Polish Underground 1944!
At age 14, Irena Szpak trained as a messenger for the Polish resistance. She was taken by cattle train to an “Arbeits” or work camp in Germany and survived to have a family and emigrate to Canada.
Yvonne van der Ven was shocked to discover that her father, a holocaust survivor, was considered a war hero. She grew up not really knowing her parents’ true story. This is about a daughter’s journey into her parents past.
Born in Lachine, Québec and of Russian descent, Hyman Yanofsky joined the Canadian army to fight Hitler. His job was to intercept messages from the enemy as he travelled through Europe.
Abdulkadir Yussuf is a Somalian refugee. After he fled a civil war, he helped out in various refugee camps and with Médecins Sans Frontières. In 1997, he came to Canada. He shares his positive attitude with others every day in his role as settlement worker.
