Teen Advisory Boards Groups

Jenny Virgin and Heather Morton—Obion CountyMecca Caron—Maury County

ACT – Advisory Council of/by/for TeensCTA – Council of Teen Advisors

LTC – Library Teen CouncilT-MAD – Teens Making a Difference

YAAC – Young Adult Advisory Council or CommitteeYAAG – Young Adult Advisory Group

WRAP – Readers and Writers Advisory PanelFrom Library Teen Advisory Groups: A VOYA Guide by Diane P. Tuccillo

Get ThemPromote & publicize - visit local schools

Welcome everyoneBuild relationships

Entice them - bribery worksExplain the positives - college applications,

referencesSet guidelines – ages, application

Recruiting and Starting a Group•Visit Schools during lunch or parent night.•Hang flyers and set out brochures in places teens frequent.•Video stores•Coffee shops•Schools•Churches

Recruiting and Starting a GroupRecruitment Party to Kick Things Off:

FoodCokesGamesPrizesMusic

Recruiting and Starting a Group

Bylaws, applications, agendas, and sign in sheets keep it real. Make it fit YOUR personality as well as your group’s.

Other samples http://tsla.libguides.com/content.php?pid=177083&sid=1590309

Sample Meeting AgendaTrivia

Old/New businessCalendarNew stuff

Books into movies, YA books, booktalks Cool websitesProject time

Activities , Games, Crafts

How to be a good administratorBE POSITIVE/LISTEN: even if you don't think an idea will work, hear it out & think of ways it could work

SET GUIDELINES: best if these are drawn up by the group members, but stick to them & enforce them.

How to be a good administrator BE REAL. Be yourself. Be a stable adult figure & the group will appreciate it.MAKE IT FUN: icebreakers go a long way towards helping the group get to know each other & feel comfortable enough to open up.HAVE EVERYONE PARTICIPATE: make sure everyone is heard & the group isn't being dominated by a few vocal people.

Recruiting and Starting a Group• Letting Teens express themselves while hanging out is

always fun. • Even better when they come up with

the idea themselves!• We use their ideas…

with our supervision & sometimes tweaking… to keep their morale up.

Recruiting and Starting a Group•Tag Award Night

•Who has given their best and been the best!

Best

Dressed

Worst DressedMost

Comical

Highest Volunteer

HoursBest Attitude

Recruiting and Starting a GroupOne thing we want our Taggers to always express is individuality. We want them to be themselves and have their own ideas. This is when we came up with the Idea

Sheet, a piece of paper that they can put their ideas down on and see if they get approved or not. This is when their very

own Music Video came about!

Tag You!

“Tag You” Written and Performed by John-Alex Warner. Original Song “Forget

You” Written By Cee lo Green

Recruiting and Starting a GroupOur TAGGERS’ Favorite Activities:

•Water Gun Fight•Movie Night•Gaming•Lock In

•Piano Coffee Bar•Scavenger Hunt•Iron Chef

•Summer Reading Help

Maury Co. TAG Favs• Anime Fest• Bake Sales campaign to raise aid funds for

Haiti • Video Game Nights/Lock-Ins• Video/Book Trailer Filming

Helping Teens Plan ProgramsThe Ultimate: Teens do it themselves . . . with your approval/oversight. EMPOWER THEM•Guiding questions to use with your teens•What do you want to do? What will you

need? Who do you know? What will it cost? What can you get donated?

Helping Teens Plan Programs

•Help them create a task list and timeline•Who’s going to do what? •When does it need to be accomplished?

LEADERSHIP & LIFE SKILLS

Volunteering•Your TAG can be an invaluable asset to your library AND the community!•Teens can help with youth programs•Regular volunteer hours at the library•Volunteer regularly at local food pantry or soup kitchen•GIVES THE LIBRARY ANOTHER POSITIVE IDENTITY IN THE COMMUNITY – MARKETING AND PR!

Recruiting and Starting a Group We asked our TAGGERS why they continue

to come in to volunteer…“ All the Activities”“You aren’t serious.”

“It is fun.”

“You actually like hanging out with us.”

“You let us know you care about us.”

“You consider our opinions.”

“I signed a contract in blood.”

“We all GET each other.”

“Our ideas that we come up with actually happen. If we asked for it to rain watermelons, you would probably take us on the roof and let us drop watermelons on the ground. And

then make us clean it up.”

“It’s not a dictatorship.”

“I am chained to the building.”

Assist with Summer Reading•Help register•Check reading logs•Crowd management•Act as “ushers”•Read a story, tell jokes, or present •a skit prior to start of performance

Assist with Summer Reading•Prepare certificates & goody bags•Marketing•Help distribute flyers & posters• Perform/record radio or TV skit for publicity

Days spent with Tag:

It is never work

when helping

TAG.

If you are someone that can not deal with how teens are in today’s society, then this is not the right job for you.

Inspire us to be the best we can be.

Help us face tomorrow.

Lift our

spirits!

We are Blessed to have this Job!

"There’s a radical – and wonderful – new idea here… that all children could and should be inventors of their own theories, critics of other people’s ideas, analyzers of evidence, and makers of their own personal marks on

the world. Its an idea with revolutionary implications. If we take it seriously.“

- Deborah Meier