March 17, 2026
Talking Books
A community storytelling initiative in Lahore that connects children with professionals to broaden their sense of possibility through lived experience and guided conversation.
Role: Co-Organiser and Team Member
Timeline: 2025 – Present
Talking Books is a dialogue-based community project designed to introduce children in schools, shelters and care institutions to real people, real careers, and real life stories. Inspired by the Human Library model and shaped by South Asian traditions of intimate exchange, the project uses conversation as a way to build curiosity, trust, and exposure.
As one of the organisers, I helped plan and run sessions, coordinate speakers, and shape the project’s wider structure, including outreach, and digital documentation. We held an early session on December 30 at the Child Protection Bureau in Lahore, where children met a nutritionist, counsellor, architect, and economist, and we also developed pre- and post-session questionnaires to better understand participant experience and learning.
This project pushed me to think more carefully about what meaningful exposure actually looks like for young people. It showed me that access is not only about resources, but also about who children get to meet, what stories they hear, and whether a space is created where they feel safe enough to imagine new futures.
Tools and approach
Impact
- Reached approximately 60 children from the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau.
- Coordinated speakers across diverse professional backgrounds
- Designed pre- and post-session participant questionnaires
- Helped shape outreach and documentation strategy