The Nielsen Company published an in-depth report on how teenagers use media — the myths and realities of teen media trends. They look at how teens use: TV, online and mobile video, Internet, mobile phones, games, movies, music and advertising.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype around teenagers. The notion that teens are too busy texting and Twittering to be engaged with traditional media is exciting, but false.
This report will make you reconsider your preconceived notions about what teens are doing.
Looking for a easy, silly fun program idea for that busy back-to-school month between Teen Summer Reading and Teen Read Month? Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th!
Find out how other people celebrated last year, or just get some pirate advice. Perhaps you could have a program on tying knots, show Pirates of the Caribbean, or find a local history expert to talk about our own pirate history. Or maybe get some of the Seafair crew? Looks like The Seattle Knights has a pirate division now, too!
Writing in the journal Pediatrics, Dr. Iris Borowsky of the University of Minnesota Medical School, and colleagues studied data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which involves more than 20,000 teens from grades 7 through 12.
They found that almost 15 percent of adolescents believed they had a 50/50 chance at best of living to see their 35th birthday.
Wow! The article goes on to talk about this is why so many teens engage in risky behavior...they are literally hopeless. So sad.
How do you think books about death and dying help teens with these worries/fears/hopelessness? What are some of your favorites?
Being a middle aged librarian, I find it sometimes challenging to stay up on teen music trends, so I'm always delighted when someone exposes me to some fresh beats before they've already grown old.
Anne directed me to this great article (just posted last week) about a new trend in hip hop: jerk culture.
Jerk dancing has apparently been around for a while, but dance trends without musical backup tend to die quickly. This appears to be fresh and fun, embraced by teens in L.A., and has its own new look...think 80s tight jeans and patterned pants, with fitted baseball caps.
I'm especially smitten with the fact that these kids are confident enough to sport Sesame Street hats! I know my brother would love the Elmo one. Me, I'm leaning towards Cookie Monster .
In recent years, pediatricians and researchers in this country have been giving bullies and their victims the attention they have long deserved — and have long received in Europe. We’ve gotten past the “kids will be kids” notion that bullying is a normal part of childhood or the prelude to a successful life strategy. Research has described long-term risks — not just to victims, who may be more likely than their peers to experience depression and suicidal thoughts, but to the bullies themselves, who are less likely to finish school or hold down a job.
The article goes on to suggest that pediatricians be in contact with school principals when the become aware of problems, that a zero tolerance policy be in place in schools, and that youths are educated that "the bully is someone who has a problem managing his or her behavior, and the victim is someone they can protect." I love this theory of "activating the bystanders" as they call it, but which is in a way nothing more than the sort of extensive community partnering our libraries are striving to achieve...increasing communication, awareness and participation of teens and those who work with them for the good of all.
What can we as libraries do to prevent bullying? The most important thing is to have a zero tolerance policy ourselves. I try to be consistent about tolerating no roughhousing or name calling - no matter how jokey or friendly it might seem, we cannot gauge of the true hurtfulness. By not putting up with any of it, we create an atmosphere of respect and safety that makes it easier to spot truly problematic behavior. When disturbing patterns then can be seen, talk to school contacts to get information and help them see a bigger picture of their charges. Libraries are so extremely careful about always protecting identity of our patrons, I was surprised to discover school police officers and counselors are often quite willing to discuss behavior issues of specific students for the purpose of helping them. The more consistently issues can be address within the community, the better it is for teens, and for all of us.
It's a great article in PW, covering a panel that happened at BEA. It's absolutely worth a read.
Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite:
"Debraski mentioned that sometimes programs are a flop, but you’ve got to keep on trying. Her experience in programming has given her the knowledge that “no one program fits all.” She emphasized the fact that some programs, like crafting and gaming, may seem like they aren’t related to libraries in a direct way, but in actuality, they are. “It’s all about making a connection with the teens. They’ve got to know that the library is a fun place to be,” she said."
Anne and I attended Sakura-Con way back on April 12th, and I've been meaning to share a bit of that experience, but couldn't think of the right way to approach the random information. And then I was thinking of ways to improve this blog, and realized this was a perfect place to download this sort of info. Especially after I spent a little time yesterday playing with the Flip video camera software and made a tiny movie with the footage we shot there!
Sakura-Con is all about celebrating anime and manga, plus the culture that surrounds them. I went with the main objective of coming up with programming ideas. I contacted a number of young artists, and unfortunately did not find many who were excited about teaching classes at the library (most were sweetly quite shy and inexperience in dealing with the public). Here are a few possibilities:
Elie and Rae - Above*Rain are based out of Lake Stevens. Rebecca Barnes - Washington state - Bluessence Rich Schleifer - Schleifer Studios - Bothell
Costumes are a huge part of Sakura-Con! One of my favorite parts was when they would have Cosplay photo gatherings scheduled, so kids who dressed as characters from the same anime would come together in one big group for photo ops. (Anne always has great photos). Probably wouldn't work as a library program, but maybe a cosplay party?
We attended an awesome Gothic Lolita fashion show, and afterwards I spoke to the presenter, Aimee Skeers, who said she would be willing to do her PowerPoint at a library for a program, and might be able to get her Lolita group to do meet-up as part of the program. (She is part of a Lolita convention in Bellevue this August) My idea is that the library could throw a tea party for them and the teens who attend. Could be fun!
Another organization that might be worth talking to about doing something in the library is the Japan-America Society. They have a Japan in a Suitcase program they offer for young elementary school students, and Japanese Language and Culture Visits they do for secondary school students. Perhaps they could do a mini-immersion program for your anime group, or as a program?
Another both I checked out where the folks seemed interested in doing programs at the library was TsubomiSeishin Kan Dojo - Japanese Martial Arts & Culture. They are located in both Shoreline and Everett adn teach Aikido and Iaido (Japanese swordsmanship!) They are part of the PNBA (Pacific Northwest Budo Association) who coordinates instructional programs on Japanese language and culture, including meditation, calligraphy, bonsai, flower arranging and tea ceremonies!
One final program idea that would be cheap and fun is to have a classic console gaming night. Borrow ancient Atari 2600, Nintendo 64, etc...from your staff and friends and let the teens experience the glory that is old school video gaming!
This is a fresh idea I saw on GNLIB, from Susan Bohn of Hononegah High School :
Our high school library has a library advisory group and they help me plan events for the library. We recently had "ani-May-nia" and one part of the program was a drawing contest. The students submitted drawings inspired by their favorite manga characters and the kids at the program voted for their favorite. I had them turn in their entries prior to the day of the program so I could scan them and make them into temporary tattoos which we scattered on the tables for the kids to take during the program.The tattoo paper I used was a "laser temporary tattoo paper kit" by papilio.com. It costs $11.89 for a pack of 5 sheets. You need a color laser printer to print them. I used five sheets and made 125 tattoos, so the kids could take several. Our students really like contests--drawing contests, trivia contests, etc. This was a fun way to use the entries from the drawing contest and give something to everyone who came.
I came across a very cool PowerPoint today by by Valerie Voss of Tulare County Library, in which she shares some great ideas for Express Yourself @ the Library. Though it may be too late to add any of these things as programs, you could incorporate a few of the ideas in to displays or local contests at your branch:
I'm very impressed with many things about what they are doing here. Especially departing from library lingo to make something new, hiring teens to help monitor and develop successful programming and spaces, and focusing on "user driven innovation". Plus, I really want a Infamous for Information caravan to showcase our stuff at local events!
Another local resource well worth knowing about is the Changes Parent Support Network. They offer free ongoing peer support meetings to parents and guardians of acting out or self destructive teens and young adults in Snohomish County. Meetings happen every Thursday evening from 7-9:30 at the Family Tree Apt. Complex community room - 10110 19th Ave. SE Everett WA 98208. Please share with parents in need!
Looking for fun project ideas for teen programs, or just yourself? Here are some of my favorite magazines/sites to browse:
Craft: the first project based magazine dedicated to the renaissance in the world of crafts. Slightly geekier than the typical Michael's crafts crowd.
Make: technology on your time Tech geek version of Craft.
ReadyMade: Instructions for Everyday Life Very hip, environmentally conscious, and grades projects by difficulty and cost. I love this incredibly simple project!: Photo Ops
Instructables: Make, How to, and DIY People post their own how to instructions for more things than you can imagine!
So often when a teen loses a friend, or it witness to a violent crime, it is difficult for us as adults to know how to best help them grieve. We may not realize that some of their behaviors indicate that they still need more time and assistance to cope with this dramatic change in their lives. Even if their friend is still alive, they are changed, and either way the loss is hard, especially when you are already dealing with the challenges of teen life.
Happily, there is a local organization we can refer teens to when they are struggling with these difficult problems beyond our professional skills. Friends and Family of Violent Crime Victims is a group located out of Everett that is here to help both teens and adults who have suffered a loss or trauma, or are friends with someone who has and need help dealing.
And now they are starting up support groups for teens. To find out more, or refer a teen in need, call Nancy at 425.252.6081 or 1.800.346.7555.
Apparently this is a trend somewhere...hard to say if it is widespread or if the media is just blowing it up. Teens crush up Smarties and pretend the dust is smoke. Or snort them, in a clear reference to hard core drugs. Some teens argue it is a healthy alternative to smoking/drugs, and of course parents/school/doctors are freaking out. Seems to me this should be enough to dissuade any reasonable teen:
Oren Friedman, a Mayo Clinic nose specialist, cautioned that frequent use could lead to infections or even worse, albeit rare, conditions, such as maggots that feed on sugary dust wedged inside the nose.
EW!
But is this really about reasonable teens? Or is it just those kids who are trying to get a rise out of adults. I remember obnoxious peers doing similar things with crushed up Cheetos/candy/sugar packets when I was a teen. Is this really a threat to society? Or just another case of teens successfully freaking out adults over nothing?
If nothing else, it can be a great conversation starter with teens in your library!
Teenage Girls Stand by Their Man IN the hallway of Hostos-Lincoln Academy in the Bronx this week, two ninth-grade girls discussed the pop singer Chris Brown, 19, who faces two felony charges for allegedly beating his girlfriend, the pop singer Rihanna, 21. At first, neither girl had believed Mr. Brown, an endearing crooner, could have done such a thing.Two fans show their support for Chris Brown outside the courthouse in Los Angeles.Readers' “I thought she was lying, or that the tabloids were making it up,” one girl said. Even after they saw a photo of Rihanna’s bloodied, bruised face, which had raced across the Internet, they still defended Mr. Brown. “She probably made him mad for him to react like that,” the other ninth grader said. “You know, like, bring it on?”
I'm absolutely horrified by the onslaught of support teens are showing for this violent behavior, and how willing they are to blame the victim. The Times article supplies some good links, some of which I'm adding to our Sno-Isle Teens de.licio.us page. But I would like to do a booklist on this sadly timely topic too. What books would you include on a teen dating violence booklist?
Ok, so I've known about this organization for a while now, but only recently have I really taken a good look at their website. The have a whole page for grades 6-8 and another for 9-12. The coolest thing? The podcasts. Which also have their own page, and is currently featuring a great interview with Laurie Halse Anderson (who will be in Seattle at the Ballard Branch on March 24th! I can't go, since I'll be visiting my brother in D.C., but you totally should!).
It's primarily designed for teachers, but I get a kick out of podcasts, so I thought I'd share.
Want to experiment with some cool Web sites? Try out the activities below. Complete any five of the challenges and you will be entered in to a drawing to win tech gift cards from local businesses. Once you have completed your five challenges, submit them with any links to your work to let us share them on JoCoTeenscene. For every five challenges you complete, your name will be put into the drawing. Go for a blackout, completing all the challenges, and increase your chances of winning.
How great is that? I totally want to steal this idea next year :)
Over at the YALSA blog, they have been doing a full months worth of sharing ideas on how we can all be better advocates for teens: Topics on the advocacy schedule for this month include:
ALA advocacy tools
Why advocacy is important
Everyday advocacy in the school library
Why advocacy should be part of a teen librarian’s job description
Creating Partnerships
And more
We hope these posts will help readers to become better advocates in their own libraries and also help to spread the word about why advocating for teens and libraries is important.
Much of this you may already know, but there are lots of great fresh little ideas there to check out, too!
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