For four inspiring days, Seoul became a meeting place for librarians, creatives, educators and changemakers from more than 25 countries during Next Library Satellite Seoul 2026.

Organised by Dokk1 in partnership with SeeArt Foundation, the event created space for dialogue, imagination and new ways of thinking about the future of libraries and civic participation.

More than a conference, Next Library felt like a global community of people who believe libraries can still surprise the world. Across keynotes, workshops and conversations, participants explored how libraries are evolving into shared living rooms, civic spaces and learning laboratories where communities can meet, question, listen and imagine better futures together.

One of the most inspiring moments came from hearing the story of Sienna Yang, who shared her journey of creating a public library from scratch in China, later documented in her book Why Does the World Need Libraries? Participants were also inspired by the keynote of Nobuo Yoshinari, who reflected on libraries as civic third places shaped by conversation, humanity and unexpected encounters.

During the event, Active Citizenship: Participation Game was presented internationally as part of the Erasmus+ partnership between BoostYourThinking and Lier Library, Norway.

The prototype invited participants to explore real social challenges, fictional personas, participation barriers and civic engagement tools through collaborative dialogue and reflection. Rather than focusing on competition, the game encourages participants to understand how participation happens, where it is blocked and how communities can move from silence to voice.

Participants described the experience as inspiring, timely, creative and deeply relevant for today’s society. Many highlighted the absence of “right answers” as one of the game’s greatest strengths, allowing people to contribute more openly, reflect together and build ideas collectively.

At a time shaped by misinformation, polarisation, loneliness, distrust and social fragmentation, the project reinforces the importance of creating safer and more meaningful spaces where every voice can matter.

Following testing sessions in Portugal and Norway, the next international sessions will take place in São Paulo and Utrecht. The online version of the game is expected to be released in August 2026.