by Anagha, Day-Riverside Teen Squad Hello everyone. My name is Anagha Rao and I was a participant in Teen Squad 2020. At first, I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t even think I would get in. I applied for the Day-Riverside branch just because I wanted a productive way to spend my time this summer. However, I ended up learning numerous useful skills that I use everyday. In Teen Squad, we had the opportunity to create a library-related project of our choice to make the library better. At first, I didn't have any ideas, and it felt intimidating to initiative a project. But, I received tons of support from the librarians and my Teen Squad group during our regular Zoom meetings to discuss ideas and make friends. The project I chose was a 30-day fitness challenge to help encourage people to stay active during the pandemic. I began by preparing the materials and planning out the logistics of the program (how many days it would last, how would people complete it, etc.) Since many of the libraries were closed, I had to find creative solutions to making sure that the challenge was virtual. I found that the library’s BiblioBoard was a great way to market my project to the public and encourage people to participate. I also learned a lot about working digitally and using different software like Zoom, Google Forms, and many more. The amazing thing about Teen Squad is that I was able to commit 2 hours a week or 10 hours a week, depending on my schedule. This is why Teen Squad is a great summer activity, even if you have other extracurriculars going on. Another skill I learned was presenting. At the end of the program, we presented our projects to the other participants. But don’t be intimidated by that! As long as I prepared once, it was easy to share my ideas, and everyone in Teen Squad was very supportive. I was inspired to hear about all the different projects teens in Utah have created in order to make the library a better place. My Teen Squad project was the Step Up Challenge. It is a 30-day fitness challenge to encourage teens to stay active during the pandemic. If you want to participate in the basic challenge, you would log any fitness activity everyday either by steps, time spent exercising, or distance walked. There is also an additional Bingo challenge where teens can challenge themselves to try different types of activities to stay healthy. Every time you complete a challenge, you cross it off and try to get a Bingo or a blackout. Lastly, there is a Healthy Habits challenge that encourages teens to practice other healthy habits such as eating fruits and vegetables or staying away from screens. In order to participate, you must go onto the library’s BiblioBoard and print out the packet. At the end, it was an incredible accomplishment to have started your very own library-related project, and I was happy that I took that step to apply. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about applying to give it a shot because it is an incredibly rewarding experience.
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by Claire & Amerita, Anderson-Foothill Branch Teen Squad member Amerita put together this list about where teens can find safe volunteer opportunities in the time of Covid! Click here for a PDF with links to each organization! by Trinity, Main Teen Squad Hello! Firstly, I’d like to introduce myself and why I did this project. My name is Trinity and I’m an LGBT+ teen that has been out to themselves for a few years, so when I was thinking about the next project that I could do with the library for Teen Squad, one of the main things I thought about was, “what is something that I know about that I as a teenager didn’t know before, and wish I did?” And that’s when it hit me that I gather information as a hobby and I have a store of info on LGBT+ representation, resources, and tips, so that is what I made my project out of. The way to access my project is on Instagram on an account with the username @rainbow_community_resources and there are quite a bit of different things to be found to help anyone that is looking to get started on the journey that is getting support, loving who you are, finding people like you, and doing it all safely. The specifics of what can be found there are sectioned into categories. Those categories are YouTuber representation, representation in general, binder tips (for the trans masculine/non-binary folks), hotlines/phone numbers, institutions/corporations that are either LGBT+ safe or built for LGBT+ people, and finally a deeper dive into some of those institutions. All YouTuber representations are people that are healthy successful people that are openly advocating for people like them and in turn people in the LGBT+ community, and all of the examples of general representation are authors or companies that put out healthy and constructive content for your viewing pleasure. All hotlines/phone numbers are specifically for LGBT+ people and many are for mental health, and all binder tips have been researched and triple checked to ensure safety. And on top of all of that we still have institutions and deep dives on institutions that are LGBT+ based, supporting, and open to all. And all of these posts were hand drawn on my digital drawing platform to make it feel more personalized. So with all that letting you know what to expect when you get there, I sincerely hope you check the account out, share it with LGBT+ friends and use it to help yourself, your friends, or anyone else trying to get started on this roller coaster of pride. by McKelle Hi there! I’m McKelle, and I’m the Teen Associate Librarian at the Day-Riverside branch! I’m so pleased to introduce Day-Riverside’s awesome Teen Squad Group this year and all the amazing work they’ve been doing! Hello! My name is Jennifer Echeveste, and I will be a senior at West High School next year. I have lived in Salt Lake City my entire life. I love being a part of softball and Dance Company programs at my high school. I am honored to represent my peers as the Senior Class President of 2020-2021. This will be my third year volunteering with the library, and I am excited to participate in this year’s Teen Squad team leader of the Day-Riverside Branch. I enjoy volunteering because there is always room to improve my communication skills and get to know more people and create strong connections. My name is Anagha Rao, and I will be a junior at Skyline High School. This is my first year volunteering with Teen Squad, and I am part of the Day-Riverside Branch. One of my favorite parts of Teen Squad was working on my unique project and getting a chance to make a positive difference in my community. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, learning about nutrition, and writing for the school newspaper. I love to be involved in my community and aspire to work as a medical professional in the future. My project is a 30-Day fitness challenge to help teens and adults stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hello! My name is Jules, and I am a Teen Squad volunteer at the Day-Riverside library. This is also my second year being part of Teen Squad! I am going to be a freshman this fall; some of my hobbies include drawing and writing. I am an aspiring artist with two webcomics, and I’m working on writing a novel! My Teen Squad project is making a zine for each month of 2020.
Thanks for reading about our Day-Riverside Teen Squad Volunteers! Hopefully you've had a chance to learn about all 40 of our summer volunteers. To find out more about each of their projects and see some of their final products, visit our Teen Squad page. By Yoli Fun fact, the Marmalade Branch is named after the groves of fruit trees that once grew in the neighborhood. Now you know a new piece of library trivia! Hi, my name is Yoli, and as a Teen Librarian at the Marmalade Branch I get to support teens’ goals and dreams. Every summer we have the Teen Squad, and teens can volunteer at the library. This is a great way for teens to give back to their communities while adding volunteer experience to their resume. I’d like to thank this year’s Teen Squad for all of their hard work during these unusual and difficult times. The Marmalade Teen Squad is super creative and thoughtful, and has a great work ethic. Thank you Alex, Claire, Hazel, Laynee, Lily, and Mariam for making this team awesome! I borrowed a sewing machine and I am getting help from my mom to learn how to sew masks. My plan is to create a tutorial for other teens to learn how to make a mask. The tutorial will be posted to the library’s teen blog, or to the Biblioboard teen DIY page. Hi, I am Alex. I am 16 and will be a senior at West High next year. This is my 4th year volunteering at Marmalade library. In my free time, I like to watch animated TV shows, play piano, and read about world history. I am excited to be on the Teen Squad this year and work on a project to help others experience the variety of CDs that our library offers to us. I will create a book club for LGBTQ+ and ally tweens. I noticed that the library had resources for teens who are part of the community, but not for tweens, so I thought that since I have the ability to come up with and create a program I would create a resource for tweens in the community. I plan to have the book club meet every two weeks, reading a new book every four. In the meetings in which books aren’t being discussed, we will be able to socialize and make new friends. This is my first year doing Teen Squad and I’m so excited! I spend most of my time reading, writing, taking photos in the cemetery, or listening to Showtunes.
We hope you enjoyed reading about our Marmalade Teen Squad volunteers. Our last volunteer post, coming next Monday, will feature volunteers from our Day-Riverside Branch. Until then, have a great holiday weekend!
by Stephanie C. & Planned Parenthood Teen Council of Park City
What are microagressions?
"Microagressions are the everyday verbal, non-verbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional, or unintentional...which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership. " Our friends at Planned Parenthood's Park City Teen Council made this excellent video about Microagressions. That is the Teen Council??? As you can see from the video, Teen Council members also explore and help teach peers about other social issues important to them. To learn more about Teen Council please visit their website by clicking the link below. Have you ever experienced microagressions? What are some ways you can stand up for each other if you see microagressions happening? Big thank you to Medalid and her council for sharing this video with the Library! |
AuthorsBlog posts are written by our Teen Librarians and, in some cases, teens like you. Visit your About page to learn more about our Teen Librarians. Archives
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