By Rachel Schmidt, Youth Services
This is a longer article than we normally run. It’s an excerpt from our printed newsletter that went out last week and should be in your mailbox shortly, if you’re on our mailing list.
The Santa Clara City Library Foundation and Friends, working with the Library, received a California State Library grant for $89,500 in May 2022. This year-long grant is providing teens an internship experience at the Library and a stipend for their service. There will be two cohorts, or groups, of interns. Each will have an opportunity to help with summer reading and host a Homework Help Center with the Santa Clara Unified School District.
The first teen cohort supported Santa Clara City Library staff in Summer Reading family programming this summer. Over the summer, fourteen teen interns started working at the Central Park Library for a six-week term. During the six weeks, teen interns participated in weekly leadership trainings like:
- professional communication,
- resume and cover letter building,
- merchandising in the library, and
- financial literacy led by KeyPoint Credit Union.
The summer season ended with a Teen Leadership Summit where our teens shared a presentation about the skills they gained. The second cohort of teens, who will start in the fall, also joined the Summit. All the teens participated in a training led by the Office of Education titled: “Building Relationship with Kids in a Learning Environment.” The day ended with the teens tie dyeing t-shirts and collaborating in a relay race.
Their help during the Summer Reading program was invaluable. The Library is currently gearing up for the new Homework Help Center.