Reaching teens with Ustream?

I came across an interesting article in http://www.mtvsticky.com/ (part of their European division) about how more bands and DJs are promoting themselves and connecting with their audiences by using the social networking website Ustream.

Set up in the United States by ex-Army officers John Ham, Brad Hunstable and Dr. Gyula Feher in 2006, Ustream was used by soldiers overseas as an alternative to telephone and instant messenger for contacting their families. It’s now an exciting and expanding young business. In less than 2 minutes, this platform can turn the average Joe (or Lucy) into an overnight star with an infinite global audience.

I have a cartoonist friend who for a while did weekly shows where she interviewed her fellow artist friends, and viewers could follow along live, ask questions, and interact with each other in the accompanying chat room that scrolls next to the video box. A moderator can be assigned to kick out obnoxious trolls, and bad words can be blocked.

How could we use such a tool? I really like the idea of doing author interviews. Maybe booktalking? Live coverage of gaming tournaments? What else can you imagine?

stress and teens

Kathleen found this great article that talks about stress in American kids, and how parents may not realize the danger this poses to their health and education:

APA Survey Raises Concern About Parent Perceptions of Children's Stress

Teens and tweens were more likely than parents to say that their stress had
increased in the last year. Nearly half (45 percent) of teens ages 13-17 said
that they worried more this year, but only 28 percent of parents think their
teen's stress increased, and while a quarter (26 percent) of tweens ages 8-12
said they worried more this year, only 17 percent of parents believed their
tween's stress had increased. Similarly, only 2-5 percent of parents rate
their child's stress as extreme (an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale) when 14
percent of tweens and 28 percent of teens say they worry a lot or a great
deal.

What can we do to help with teens and stress? I think the best thing is to let them know they can talk to us when they are feeling overwhelmed, and help them get into a calmer state of mind. But providing them library resources to help them get organized and get things done can't hurt either. Perhaps we could offer a series of stress-busting programs?

What do you think?

What do teens want?

Great article in PW about a survey of teen "uber-readers" from teenreads.com that disseminates what teens want in books and how they relate to literature and the internet in a marketing sense.

"Consistent with our 2005 survey, book copy was the most important factor that would make teens pick up a book. A stunning 91% saw this as the most important influence. The cover was important to 79%. The next most important influence, with 77%, was familiarity with an author's previous work; 74% were looking for the next book in a series. For 73%, the title was important."

It's worth a few moments of your time. Whole article here.

Craft-licious

Crafts (DIY, Altered Objects, whatever you call them) were so popular this summer, that I've begun to offer them monthly. Not being that much of a crafty person, I've really needed all the help I can get.

Yesterday, I found Threadbanger.

They have crafting instructions, and better yet, video tutorials.

Threadbanger is my new best friend.



Also? We're SO DOING THIS:



My teens wanted to make masquerade masks anyway.

Links & Alliances LGBTQA Youth Conference

Here is an upcoming program you may be interested. Please pass on to any LGBTQA youth you might know. They can attend this for free!

Formed in 1998 to provide support to gay and lesbian youth seeking safer environments in school and the community, the 13th annual Links and Alliances LGBTQA Youth Conference will be held on Saturday November 14th from 11am-7:30pm in Everett Community College’s Parks Student Union, 2000 Tower St. The invitational conference is for youth, parents, educators and community members who serve youth, and will cover issues impacting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth ages 14-20.

The cost is $25 for adults; free for youth age 14-20. Meals are included.

The theme of the conference is Telling Our Stories and is sponsored by EvCC’s Diversity and Equity Center. Snohomish Health District, Compass Health and 22 community agencies from Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom Counties join Everett CC as cosponsors and supporters.

For more information about the Links & Alliances conference, call 425-339-5251 or e-mail sgeissler@shd.snohomish.wa.gov or bnewell@shd.snohomish.wa.gov. If you work for a youth service agency and would like to reserve a resource table, please call Kelly at 425.339.5241 by November 11.

Keynote speaker will be one of Washington State's six openly LGBT members of the WA State Legislature. Workshops include: OMG! ISO 411 RE: STDs & HIV; Telling OUT Stories; My Life During GLOBE, My Life After GLOBE; Our Lives in Transition; Inner Journey - Stories from Within; Telling Our Stories Through Altoid Art; Youth Groups & GSAs Setting Sail to Change Our World. Free HIV testing offered. Cookies, fruit, drinks, appetizers, dinner and an evening entertainment featuring DJs and a drag show included.

I'll be out of town, but if anyone can attend this I would love to hear a report. I'm quite curious about the Altoid Art ;)

YALSA: The Library is NOT a Supermarket

There's a great post on the YALSA blog today about teen perception and needs about/from libraries. It reminds me of a lot of the things we talk about in regards to the Teen Project, so it's worth a read:

What makes a library more than a supermarket for teens? Is it:

• Hours that go beyond the traditional 9 to 5 or 9 to 9 model? Do successful hangout places for teens open early and stay open late?
• Staff across library departments that is welcoming, interested, and willing to build relationships?
• Flexible furniture that is easy to move around and that promotes sitting and talking with friends and peers?
• Space that actually has space for moving around, standing and talking, and even sitting on the floor?
• More than a collection of books and what’s in the collection (books, media, technology, etc.) is of interest to teens 2009/2010 and not just favorites of current or past librarians, staff, parents, etc.?
• A place where teens know their ideas are welcome, supported, and even acted upon?

Some of that sounds pretty similar to the service models we've been talking about, doesn't it?

Interesting new Pew Report on Hispanic youth

Another interesting report found by Terry:

The Changing Pathways of Hispanic Youths Into Adulthood,
Richard Fry, Senior Research Associate, Pew Hispanic Center

"Young Latino adults in the United States are more likely to be in school or the work force now than their counterparts were in previous generations. In 1970, 77% of Hispanics ages 16 to 251 were either working, going to school or serving in the military; by 2007, 86% of Latinos in this coming-of-age group were taking part in these skill-building endeavors, according to a comprehensive analysis of four decades of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. The growth over time in the share of youths involved in such market-oriented activities is not limited to Latinos. Similar changes have occurred among black and white youths. But the Latino trends are particularly noteworthy because their share of the young adult population has risen so dramatically during this period—to 18% in 2007, more than triple their 5% share in 1970."

World Bank Targets Adolescent Girls

Terry shared this intriguing article with me this week:

The World Bank Group will launch The Adolescent Girls Initiative on October 10 with the participation of President Robert B. Zoellick, Nobel Laureate Michael Spence and Nike CEO Mark Parker. This public-private partnership aims to economically empower girls and young women. Three studies on young women and employment will be released in October prior to the launch.

Basically, the idea is that a great way to fight world poverty, is to break the cycle of poverty for girls. Check out the video:

I wonder if there is any way we could do related programs in our libraries? And why is it we rarely hear talk about breaking the cycle of poverty in our own communities?

Zombie fun for game days?

One of my teens brought this to one of our recent Teen Gaming programs. Last Night on Earth is a zombie-themed board game where each player takes on the role of a small town archetype in order to survive the zombie hordes now spilling through town. Rules are simple and intuitive, games can last from 20 minutes to an hour or more, and it was really a LOT of fun.

One of my teens, who had brought his XBox 360 and a copy of Left 4 Dead discarded his controller to play the game and on the edge of his seat the entire time. I belive the word "Epic" was used at least a dozen times.

I have offered Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Cranium, and Settlers of Catan at Teen Gaming and never gotten this type of enthusiastic response for a board game. Based on that I purchased a copy for use in both Teen Gaming programs as well as our Zombie Survival program coming up in October.

Teens coming out in middle school.

The New York Times has an excellent article about teens coming out in middle school, how things have changed, and what remains challenging for them:

Coming Out in Middle School
By BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS
Published: September 23, 2009

“When I first realized I was gay,” Austin interjected, “I just assumed I would hide it and be miserable for the rest of my life. But then I said, ‘O.K., wait, I don’t want to hide this and be miserable my whole life.’ ”

What has changed, that more kids are coming out at a younger age?

Not only were there increasingly accurate and positive portrayals of gays and lesbians in popular culture, but most teenagers were by then regular Internet users. Going online broke through the isolation that had been a hallmark of being young and gay, and it allowed gay teenagers to find information to refute what their families or churches sometimes still told them — namely, that they would never find happiness and love.

A humorous moment of frustration for one boy:

“It’s not like I have a lot of options anyway,” he said, echoing what I would go on to hear from many gay middle-schoolers. “I like guys who are nice and caring and don’t act like jerks to everyone. But this is middle school, where guys think it’s funny to pick their nose and fart really loud and laugh.”

One thing I found particularly interesting is how many adults instantly think coming out or having a Gay-Straight Alliance at a school is somehow about sex, but for the most part these kids are pretty innocent. For them it is about being comfortable and honest about who you are, and being able to talk openly about themselves, their hopes and dreams. Which is what I would want for any middle school kid.

Book Talks

As promised, here are the book talks from the Teen Contacts meeting.

Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger
Dave and his friends Victor and Curtis, turned 15 this year, which means they can get summer jobs. But everyone knows that once you start working at 16 (not 15), you are expected to keep working until you retire. So, they consider this summer their last summer of freedom...

Until their dads tell them they have no choice. And what will three teenage boys do to get out of having an "optional" summer job?

Pretty much anything.

They decide NOT to get jobs. Oh, they tell their families that they have jobs, even though they don't. And to prove to their suspicious dads that they have jobs, they'll get the money they would have earned (about $7,000) some other way...leaving the rest of the summer open for fun. And so, Project Sweet Life began.

Will the boys earn the money? Can they keep it secret from their families all summer? Read Project Sweet Life and find out.

Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow
What would you do if your dad, who went hunting a few nights ago and never came home, returned as a zombie and attacked you?

Yeah, it really sucks having to kill your own dad.

Dru Anderson has always known about the zombies, suckers, wulfen, and other things that go bump in the night...or, the "Real World," as she calls it. Ever since her mom's death, Dru and her dad have hunted the bad things most people don't know about.

But now she's all alone. Except for her Goth friend Graves, who gave her a place to stay, she doesn't know anyone in the area. Now they are the ones being hunted. And Dru must learn more about who she is and what she can do if they hope to survive long enough to get out of town alive.

Conflux Festival - fun tech ideas

Penni sent me a link to this article about a cool arts and technology festival in New York City:

Conflux Festival Turns New York Into a Digital Playground
By Jenna Wortham
September 18, 2009

Folks are doing lots of imaginative and fun things with technology for this including:

* using iPhones to play virtual golf around the city
* The Urban Disorientation Game: Players are challenged to find their way back to the headquarters after being blindfolded and driven to remote parts of the city. Players will be asked to create maps and explore their surroundings as they make their way back to the starting point.
* Human Scale Chess Game
* IPhone Drum Circle

I don't imagine many of our teens have iPhones, but what sorts of fun and challenging events can we come up with that use the technology they do have access to? I've already gotten requests for more game tournaments and digital photography scavenger hunts. I'd love to see some innovative ideas for Teen Tech Month. The YALSA theme is Learn, Create, Share @ your library. What could we do that would help teens learn new skills, create cools stuff and show it off through our website?

virtual author visits

Interested in having an author interact with your teen group, but don't have the big bucks to spend on getting them to fly in? Consider using the internet! Jackie from Lynnwood found this great article on having virtual author visits using Skype.

Met Any Good Authors Lately? Classroom author visits can happen via Skype
By Kate Messner -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2009

Includes a list of those who do it for free!

More on gangs...

Gang graffiti in Mountlake Terrace

First, I want to thank Dawn for arranging Heidi's presentation about gangs today. Even though we don't have as much of a problem on the island, I think it's important to be aware of the signs. Especially in Oak Harbor, I think there are a lot of teens that might find the gang lifestyle enticing.

The various signs and symbols got me thinking about some things I've seen a couple of kids drawing when I let them write on the white board, and I set off on a search to try and find reference to it on the internet. No luck yet, but I did run across a couple of things I wanted to share with you all.

Northwest Gangs - a resource specific to gang activity in the northwest. Be sure to visit the Flickr site that goes along with this resource. He's got a lot of pictures of graffiti and symbols from all over Washington.

I'm still looking for my particular symbol...

Leviathan

Last month Dawn sent me the ARC of Scott Westerfeld's new book Leviathan, with the promise that I'd blog about it on one of the blogs within 30 days. I believe today is exactly 30 days from that offer - I actually thought I'd missed it by a day or two. Whew!

Anyhow...

Leviathan seems to be getting some pretty good hype, what with the book trailer and release of illustrations ahead of the book release date. It's a new direction for Scott Westerfeld, away from the contemporary or futuristic books he's already written. That's something I like about Westerfeld's books and series - the fact that they're all different from each other.

So - how does Leviathan stack up to his other work? I've read So Yesterday, Uglies, and the first Midnighters so can't compare it to everything he's written. But I think it holds up well - I really liked it. I will admit that I'm already a fan of the Steampunk genre, so that might bias my opinion a bit. Just a bit. And I'm becoming more and more fond of alternate history tales as well - which of course could bias me a bit further.

The premise of the story - the leadup to WWI - is accurate to some degree but this of course is where Westerfeld tweaks history and runs with it. The Austrio-German side are the "Clankers" - reliant on metal, engines, and machinery, including walkers with varying numbers of legs and big guns. The British allies are referred to as "Darwinists" and have developed their vehicles and weaponry through the combination of biological creatures. Each force is formidable in its own right.

The main characters are believable and decently fleshed out, and I found them likeable. Alex, the Austrian prince who has been forced to flee after the assassination of his parents, has a few appropriately snotty royal moments but also learns from his mistakes and has compassion. Deryn, the young Scottish girl masquerading as a boy so that she can become a soldier and fly on the airships, is tenacious and spunky.

The tale is full of action from the beginning. There are chases, battles, and plenty of close calls for Alex and Deryn as their paths draw closer and closer together. By the end of it, I was grumbling that now I'm going to have to wait who knows how long for the next book!

Who should you recommend this book to? I think there will be a certain number of Westerfeld fans that will read it just because it's him, though it's possible not all of them will like this departure into the past. Teens who enjoyed Kenneth Oppel's Airborn series or Philip Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles will be certain to enjoy Leviathan. I would not hesitate to recommend it to both boys and girls, but overall I think the book may appeala bit more to boys.

Looks like I only need to wait a year for the next installment... better get going on those Mock Printz books!

books to...video game?

Books being made into video games is nothing new. Lord of the Rings, Nancy Drew, Where's Waldo and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are just a few. But I confess, I was surprised to see that the Clique is being made into a game. From the Warner Brothers press release:

In The Clique: Diss and Make Up players are immersed in the fabulous world of "The Clique," complete with fun fashions, cool classes, after school 'Jobbies' and, of course, all the latest gossip. Players can take teen gossip to a new hi-tech level by wirelessly connecting with their real-life clique using BFF mode. This mode enables two players to trade character information and send messages – all while unlocking secret gossip in the game.

I know there has been a lot of talk over the years about making more games that appeal to girls, but focusing one around gossip and struggling to get popular, I find it a rather depressing. But on the other hand, multimedia tie-ins are so natural for this generation who don't view it as a sell out or commercialization of their favorite books, but a way to enjoy them further.

What do you think?

Discussing the Pew report on teen cell phone use

Terry sent out this report the other day:

Teens and Mobile Phones Over the Past Five Years: Pew Internet Looks Back, August 2009:

Teenagers have previously lagged behind adults in their ownership of cell phones, but several years of survey data collected by the Pew Internet & American Life Project show that those ages 12-17 are closing the gap in cell phone ownership. The Project first began surveying teenagers about their mobile phones in its 2004 Teens and Parents project when a survey showed that 45% of teens had a cell phone. Since that time, mobile phone use has climbed steadily among teens ages 12 to 17 – to 63% in fall of 2006 to 71% in early 2008. In comparison, 77% of all adults (and 88% of parents) had a cell phone or other mobile device at a similar point in 2008.

Reading through it, at first I felt there were really no surprises. But then I came to this line:

Internet users are more likely than non-users to have a cell phone; however half of teens who do not go online do own a mobile phone.

And I thought, "who are these teens who do not go online?" and suddenly I was hit by one of my own poor assumptions. In my mind, ALL teens go online! And when we are concerned about reaching teens using the technology they are using it is easy to hear generalizations like "teens love to text!" and assume that is where we need to go to reach them all. But according to this report, only 2 in 5 teens text at least daily. These kids who are so dialed in, are they the ones we need to be working hard to get connected to libraries? Or should we be reminding ourselves to reach out to those on the other side of the digital divide?

Thoughts?

Understanding the Mysteries of Teenage Brain

Recently I attended a great training with Victoria Tennant on Understanding the Mysteries of the Teenage Brain. I though it was just terrific and have arranged to have it offered to staff at Sno-Isle. This workshop is for any library staff working directly with the teen population. You will improve your communication and community building between you and the teen customers and create a greater sense of confidence working with them.

The workshop will take place Tuesday November 3rd at the Service Center. Please submit a Continuing Education application to reserve your place...space is limited!

boys and books, revisited

The debate on what it takes to get boys to read (with the assumption they aren't reading enough) goes on. A school librarian in School Library Journal recently made the statement that we need more books with boy protagonists, and that "lots of books with female characters aren't really about being female. In fact, in many cases, the main characters could just as easily have been males—and that would make my job a lot easier". She sights Siberia as an example.

Over on MSN's Mom and Pop Culture page (a cleverly titled blog for parents about pop culture), Martha Brockenbrough argues that "But the problem isn't the books, it's the way we're raising our boys. If they aren't willing to read about girls, and if we're indulging that sort of nonsense, then we are raising boys who will have a hard time functioning in a world where girls play serious roles. In other words, the real world."

What do you think? Should authors be writing fewer books staring girls? Or should we stop just accepting that boys are less inclined to read about girls, and start actively encouraging them to get over themselves?

Dawson Place - help for violated teens

I recently went to a meeting where there was a speaker from Dawson Place, which is a child advocacy center in Everett, WA. It is a partnership between the Division of Children and Family Services, Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse, Compass Health, law enforcement agencies of Snohomish County and the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. These partners work together to provide all the services a child or teen who has suffered from abuse or an assault, to make the care and reporting experience as trauma free as possible. Most importantly, they provide a 24-hour crisis line that can help connect kids to the care they need. If you know any teens who mention current (or anything from the past few years) abuse or assults, please encourage them to contact Dawson Place. These folks know what they are doing, and are a vital resource for our community you should know about. Plus, they have an adorable service dogs on staff (Stilston, seen above) to help relax and distract distressed kids. Tours of the facility can be arranged for adults who work with youth who want to see where they will be refering them.