ACTIVATE
KEY PROFESSIONAL
LIBRARIAN
INFORM, INSPIRE, INVOLVE YOUTH, PARENTS, TEACHERS, CITIZENS
We recognize that kids and families are very busy. So we provide simple, realistic tools for them for effective action in their communities, at school, and to turn what is on their calendar into PhilanthroParties and opportunities to serve.
Public Libraries are such a precious and powerful space for our communities, if only people knew how to use it best and become part of bringing it to life as a community centre of learning, creativity and cooperation.
As changemakers, we love “hubs” and co-working spaces, but those have become increasingly commercialized, more business than social, and secluded. Working at the intersection of youth, learning and positive news media, I see new win-win benefits to reach our common aspirations for people and planet.
We have wonderful content on “youth creating a good world” in various media formats
- fit for young and adult reader groups
- fit for teachers and students
- fit for programs like workshops
- fit for informal interaction with the public
- with attractive contributions by the public
- building cooperation with teen hero*ines in town
- building bonds with kids caring for people and planet
- enabling youth-powered holiday programs
- creating presence in news media to raise awareness
I’d say this is on the wish list of PUBLIC LIBRARIES. We make it super simple. Get to know our general approach below. We are available to help you with causes, opportunities and foci specific to your setting. don’t hesitate to get in touch and tell us what you need.
For a first impression of youth leadership, and a vision of what it can add to your city life, please flip through our brochures 1 and 2.
To know the basics about youth leadership, to best inform teachers, students, citizens, youth and collea-gues, take the Tutorial.
We encourage you to also take the following stages of the Adult Crash Course to experience hopw inspired readers can turn into users and enjoy benefits in their daily lives.
As you can tell, these are the youth and students we all love. They awaken through INSPIRATIONAL hero*ine role models.
At YL, we work with world class knowledge on many local and global issues. This knowledge, the role models and citizen empowerment are available to you too, in form of various media, and creative ideas of using them in your ways – theme displays, exhibits, workshops, activities for school classes and holidays.
As YL Youth and Adult Volunteer Teams evolve, they reach out to libraries as afternoon HQ, and partner for workshop programs.
Your Superpowers
YOU HOST A PUBLIC COMMUNITY SPACE OF CO-LEARNING THAT REACHES THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND CAN SERVE YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS AS AFTERNOON + WEEK-END + HOLIDAY HQ AND CO-WORKING SPACE, SERVING THE COMMUNITY
- frequented by 1,000s of citizens of all ages
- with kids
- with an interest in knowledge, fun, discovery and play
- and 1,000s of school students, from early age
- with spaces
- with public status and newsletters
- with a local, regional, national partner network
- with a year-round program
- with alternating monthly themes
- with a mission to serve the public’s good
- and the goal to be a Community Centre of Knowledge, Learning and Cooperation
If it didn’t exist, our hero*ines would invent it!
Except, we would do more action hero stuff, empowering your community to act to achieve their aspirations for people and planet.
But that’s what we could do together, aye?
So, to us, our mission is to ADD
- young hero*ines
- changemaker tools, knowhow, options
- support
to your scope of content, and establish friendly connection with the local changemaker community so they can provide their talents and resources to contribute
- activities for your user community
in ways that you love. How about it?
Let’s put on the Magical Spectacles of Youth Leadership
and have a look at how we can make Youth Leadership present at libraries, with win-win benefits.
It is simple, and part of your core purpose and activity anyway, hence takes no effort, is riskless. You have a patient, diverse space. That is very beautiful in today’s hectic times.
It gradually grows and evolves, like a tree. Can you activate each branch of “your tree”? Look at the splendid results!
Results
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BASIC PERSONAL ACTIVATION COMPLETE
Results
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BASIC LOCAL CREW ACTIVATION COMPLETE
Results
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BASIC LOCAL NETWORKING COMPLETE
View more
Team up with city council + school boards
to run a season long campaign calling on caring kids age 6 to 18 to complete a set of missions (chosen from 200 options) modeled on initiatives of 50+ young and adult hero*ines + something of their own design. Journalist allies will naturally join in as youth share vivid reports on their actions with news media (part of missions).
DOCUMENTED ACTIONS ARE DISPLAYED AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES
– the one and only openly accessible space in town to reach 1,000s – where youth can see what others are doing, take their families (which is part of mission requirements), connect and team up.
There will be online and local meet-ups with coaching along the way, meeting hero*ines also, boosting motivation, FUNdraising and media coverage. The final celebration will HONOR outstanding youth crews. But every participating youth will be well rewarded. To ensure that the reward is justified, set, common sense goals need to be met, with low and high levels, for more impact, higher rewards. (You are free to use your own design of rewards and recognitions. We propose YL Warrior Badges and YL Honor Patches, of real value for CVs, also because this informs and introduces youth to our free year-round changemaker training program in cooperation with today’s Einsteins and Gandhis)
Completion + documentation
for display on social, in YL and news media and for printed display in libraries all over town scores them a Summer Pass (Berlin Pass provides free access to pools, zoo, museums, public transport …) or other cool packages by all your region’s imaginable cool Sponsor Partners; like cinema passes, canoeing trips, training in bow and arrow shooting, coding classes, news media internships, permaculture farming, painting, horseriding, skydiving, flying, car racing, as well as gifts for their parents (wellness week-ends etc) chosen by kids coming from a low income background (yes, you may think of secret surprise prizes for kids deciding to make such a selfless gift to their parents or siblings) … it is their choice of prize, depending on volume of availability.
Minimum mission impact of $100+€ and ‘service hours’ invested in the community balance the tangible value of Summer Passes gifted by the City. The activities, public and media presence generate considerable intangible value, worldview change, youth image, activate teachers and journalists for long-term follow-up activities, enabled by the resources packages circulating among participating youth, their teachers allies, and knowledge of the hero*ines / missions / levels / badges in the Change Generation Rising program.
Results
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Results
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Results
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Results
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Results
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First steps make Youth Leadership spirit present in your library. You can add activities for school classes. Next, activated youth begin to use your space as meet-up point. As they begin to feel at home, they begin to offer activities for youth and adults. Changemaker youth could contribute 30% of your program as a Community Centre.
Geez, I LOVE the idea that public libraries become Citizen Hubs and that we can help them by boosting youth leadership in town and connecting these beautiful young beings with you – for everybody’s delight and collaboration. Their vibrant, shining presence will also be felt by your user community, and only in the most pleasant form.
I have to say, I have been really positively surprised many times by public librarians … that actively asked for my help to set up a section on youth leadership, plus a flyer with guidelines for their staff on how best introduce teachers and parents to it. I was surprised to feel their profound conviction about the ‘public purpose’ of libraries, and how enthusiastically they seek to develop their public libraries into Community Centres of learning, exchange, creativity and community building. Also, I remember events where changemakers said to me “this poster set should be at 24,000 libraries in America”, and “I want this exhibit at my library. I’ll take care of this”.
The spirit of librarians was new to me! Despite all my involvement with positive change, internationally, from experts and social entrepreneurs to schools and citizen groups, I had only once come across an article on how libraries are forced to justify, re-define and transform themselves to be relevant, frequented and financed by their community – to become more awesome. So … since such articles on how things should be are no guarantee that it happens (think of schools, or participative governance),
I have since paid good attention at libraries‘ interiors, collections and programs in different countries – and I am delighted by the fertile ground that has been laid! Congratulations and thank you to everybody involved! You will agree that citizen empowerment and youth involvement can still be evolved to higher levels – and I soooo much look forward to it, since
libraries are the one and only PUBLIC, EQUIPPED CO-WORKING SPACE that youth leaders can treat like their ‘afternoon HQ’, frequent casually without reservation, without paying, without getting square looks, where their presence is a welcome “contribution”, where they can gather, meet other youth and adults, and relaxed, able, helpful, appreciative staff that shares common ‘core purpose’! Cafes, markets, parks, NGO offices, youth clubs don’t offer any of this! Schools are an ultra awesome HQ, but reserved to mornings and core community.
Hence, public libraries are an incredible asset, yet untapped and unknown to young changemakers, also ignored by civil society and social entrepreneurs. I love that the flocks of hero*ines sparked by YL may bring alive your dreams for your institution, and that this PUBLIC SPACE may become the intergenerational hub of innovation for the greater community. I’d love to work with you to make it happen!
Public libraries have a centre spot in our ‘manual’ book for youth leaders, adult allies and YL Volunteers. We’re going to push this vision, and add it to the missions of YL Crash Course, YL Volunteers and youth teams. Yesss, we back you.
IT BEGINS BY MAKING THE SPIRIT OF YOUTH LEADERSHIP OMNI-PRESENT IN TOWN.
Our main allies are librarians, teachers, journalists, and city councillors … as well as youth, parents, caring citizens and YL Volunteers. That’s many angles, so the chances are good. Anyways, like school teachers and journalists, you as responsible librarian, simply need to do what you are doing anyway, adding on youth leadership contents to your portfolio, ‘decor’ and program, inviting people to get involved.
We have plenty of resources and methods to start with flying banners. And music!
Tell us how they work for you, what else you need, and gems that you recommend we add to our resource collection for libraries! Let’s go!
ONCE Youth Leadership sparks in your city, and the youth choose to connect with our multi-focus changemaker program and our tips for teaming up with libraries as HQs to meet up in pleasant workspace ambience with other youth, to grow their movements, and to connect with the greater citizenry, to educate them and win them as allies, … they become a dynamic partner for bringing to life your aspirations for acting as COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRE.
We dearly hope that this happens, because it activates “public afternoon co-learning spaces” for youth + education and collaboration spaces with adult allies + holiday workshop program spaces for kids, with friendly support staff, free infrastructure and resources.
We aim to act from all angles to achieve youth activation. Via parents, youth and key professionals : teachers, journalists, librarians, city councillors, civil society.
In general, the strongest partner to kick it off are schools, since this is where all youth meet daily, where they can experience LEVEL UP! Crash Course group session, with several trusted friends among them. That is a “better” space than brief events or libraries with anonymous groups.
That is why we aim to activate youth at school. But since (a) it begins with inspiration of individuals, and (b) many teenage changemakers we know got inspired outside school … also libraries can set the decisive spark that will cascade into local schools.
Swift Steps to Start
Seed Info
among colleagues.
Agree on common wishes and steps to cultivate youth leadership
- make it present in the library
- use our multimedia resources
- use our (micro) poster exhibit
- guide attention to it
- announce it on newsletters, in brochures
- invite contributions by citizens, organizations, young changemakers
- lay out our Survey On Youth Leader-ship; people can also take it online
Our Tutorial and Crash Course provide an enormous lot of inspiration. You will develop a lot of own ideas, also how to connect with your local partners.
We are very interested to hear your story, in casual text or video, to learn of what you need, and to share with others.
Organize Poster Exhibits
- for better visibility
- invite schools, families to visit
- provide the ‘Explorer Guide for Kids’ (questions on hero*ines and youth leadership, also at school, that kids find answers for in the exhibit)
- offer a reward for completed guides
- we aim to offer a digital badge
Add-ons
- Film loop and music by teenage hero*ines for ambience, e.g. via screen and headphones
- a FUNdraiser for selected hero*ines; it’s part of the exhibit via QR code; you could add a call, a stand, run by a volunteer, show latest news; get them from our boostclub.org
- offer conversations on people’s interest for the future of youth leadership; in the library, schools etc
- Join a ‘live meet-up’ with YL Staff and benefitting Hero*ines to celebrate achievements
Vividly document the exhibit, interactions, feedback, inspired con-versations – share with us, news media, your community, city council and school boards. This is a great way to spread the spirit and give people a powerful prac-tical tool kit to use in their libraries, schools, summer camps etc. They need to see it in action. That’s our common job.
Offer on-demand Services
to school classes, groups and the general public
- LEVEL UP! Crash Course session 1+2 with story posters, videos, music (90-180 mins)
- optional : focus on youth life skills Core Abilities, using hero*ine stories as examples
- session 3 workshop (90-180 mins) The Hero*ine’s Journey following changemakers’ footprints from start to success, using roadmaps and 108 magic trick action cards
Harvest their feedback using our feedback bulls eye graphics
- Take a vivid thumbs up group photo.
Each session can culminate in swift actions taken instantly, or after.
- (Have them) Document actions taken, and send them for display in your youth leadership section and as part of the poster exhibit
- Inform us, news media, your com-munity on feedback, actions, impact
Documentation and sharing serve spreading the spirit and showing how people enjoy this new phenomenon and new practical opportunities
Ideas for Evolution
Observe Feedback
by youth, families, adults, teachers … and eventually decide to add face to face encounters
- conversations
- workshops
offering your support
Workshops
View LEVEL UP! Crash Course. The tools and methods can be mixed into other programs on youth, causes (add hero + solution) and citizenship.
Conversations
We experience a lot of positive feedback and gratitude. We also find a lot of allies and users. Many parents connect us to caring teachers at their kids’ schools … that’s your allies, too.
Holiday Activities
Some libraries run classes like
- novel writing for kids
- doodling, taught by artists
- news writing
- grow a vertical garden; inside or outside
- create a seed library
Our hero*ines’ initiatives and YL programs may serve you well with ideas, resources or even partners
Theme Displays
Many libraries have a monthly theme display showing selected books … art, forest, women, food … you could pep it up with pertaining hero*ine poster stories, to show how youth act on these topics, invite actions by users, schools, and display photos of their actions in the youth leadership section.
UN Theme Day Activities
We encourage youth teams, teachers and journalists to use our hero*ine stories and actions with pertaining UN Theme Days. We serve 50 through the year, approx 1 each week.
Run a UN Day based exhibit, adding infos on pertaining UN SDGs (resources available online) and your own books on the issue – girls, rural women, forests, friendship …
So,
We love helping you serve your youth, parents, teachers, and to evolve your library into a 21st Century Creative Community Hub.
Don’t hesitate to give us a call for a video-meeting, or call us in for workshops and a campaign.
Your personal crash course
is free, online, self-paced, and highly entertaining.
It provides insights, ideas, and experience what students and citizens experience. It helps you detect potentials, inspire folks, connect with partners and collaborate in good spirit.
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TRIBE!
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