Teen Volunteering Is a Program
Over the last year, our library had more than 130 teens volunteer over 1,000 hours! Our teen volunteer program is also 10 years strong and, like most of our other programming, now operates at its simplest form ever. Why? When I first started at my current library, I was the only youth librarian. Our family programs were very popular and I couldn't do it by myself. I also had teens asking for volunteer options, usually for a class or club requirement, but also just a few motivated teens that loved spending time at the library. I also noticed that during the school year teens didn't attend programs for themselves, but when I asked for help they'd all show up. I also saw teens develop skills over time: learning how to communicate with adults and each other, taking initiative in creating projects, and problem solving tasks. I also can't discount the effect it has on non-teens. Kids get to see a bigger kid helping, parents see a teen caring, and library staff see a teen n...