Taking on the role of Young Adult Coordinator for a library system was both a rewarding and challenging endeavor, especially stepping into a role that had been vacant. As the new system-wide coordinator, I had to reimagine young adult (YA) services to meet the needs and interests of our community while offering meaningful and engaging activities that aligned with our library’s mission to inform, enrich, and empower.

Assessing Community Needs

My first step was to assess the landscape of current needs. This involved gathering data on the community, identifying stakeholders, figuring out existing opportunities, assessing resources, and determining gaps for this demographic.

Gathering data meant engaging with teens in the community, parents, and educators and reaching out to community partners. Engaging was often informal, walking up and talking to people in the library/during outreach events at schools and other community spaces. However, I also created more formal documentation using surveys.

Adapting Approaches

Few teens used the library, and many wouldn’t respond to surveys. Because of this, it was important to consider who was left out of the conversation. The direction of our programming began to shift to include a focus on building experiences geared toward impacting and improving outcomes for urban and opportunity youth.

Urban youth often face unique challenges such as limited access to educational opportunities, economic disparity, transportation limitations, and, in many cases, exposure to trauma from an early age. It was imperative to develop an understanding of the socio-cultural and socio-economic context of my community when attempting to design programs that remained relevant and impactful.

To learn more about the unique traumas faced by urban and opportunity youth, I took workshops on Trauma-Informed Care. While I had worked with both urban and opportunity youth previously, Trauma-Informed Care training helped me develop a more nuanced understanding of trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), types of stress, social-emotional learning, triggers, self-regulation, fixed vs. growth mindsets, and practicing self-care. Many of these topics will make for great workshops in the future – some for young adults and others as upcoming internal staff trainings to help other staff members interact effectively with young adults from backgrounds of trauma in ways that reduce the risk of re-traumatization.

Setting Goals and Defining Priorities

With an understanding of the community’s needs and wants, it was time to set clear goals and define priorities since it was not possible to do everything at once, and I aligned my goals with the library’s strategic plan. Supporting children’s literacy and lifelong learning were two of our strategic goals that aligned the most with my programming.

I started with the goal of increasing the number of teens who used our resources/participated in programs. Another goal–developing a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space–required teen feedback. Their suggestions have resulted in creating a new YA space at our Main Branch (launching this Spring) with defined parameters and furniture that allowed for various needs and usage (accessible seating that improved collaboration, comfy seating, a setup for gaming and movie screenings, power adaptors for charging phones/laptops, and access to YA computers).

Building Inclusive Programming

Creating varied and inclusive programming for a broad range of needs and interests was also a priority. I created YA clubs like our Teen Anime-Manga Association, “It’s a Vibe” social hangout, Get Crafty Together club, Level Up video game club, a creative writing club, YA book club, and rotating fun events to entice young and new adults into the library.

Another goal was to balance fun programs with educational ones. While our STEAM programs are fun, they teach various skills (like cosmetic chemistry, cooking science, game coding design, etc.). I have also built education workshops and supporting guides related to researching and choosing the right college, demystifying the college application process, and writing the college admission essay. Other areas of learning included creating workforce development training for opportunity youth who were disengaged from work and school, including topics like career exploration, resume building, and job interview preparation.

Locating Partners

Knowing that many of the youth we specifically wanted to reach with our programming were not current library users meant locating partners that could help with the divide. I spent a lot of time meeting with youth organizations that were currently working with opportunity youth to see how we could partner with them to create more resources and prospects for these groups. Some of these partnerships included programming geared toward young adult new moms by providing them with community support, workforce training, back-to-school training, and maternal health and wellness training. I have also partnered with youth organizations in neighborhoods where I and my team have built workshops related to life skills (Dimensions of Wellness & Developing Self-Care Plans, Meal Planning On a Budget, Social-emotional Consciousness and Avoiding Conflict, and Navigating City Transportation). We also have digital literacy workshops for refugees beginning in the spring.

Evaluating and Adapting

With every success story, there have also been setbacks. Many great partnership ideas have failed (not because of a lack of interest). There are many organizations in the area that are simply too short-staffed to take on any new ideas at the moment, so I have had to learn when to let good ideas go - with the possibility of revisiting them at a later date. I have also had to plan for longevity by making sure these workshops and partner relationships are sustainable. We also continue to adapt programming based on feedback. This career is one that requires adaptability as youth needs change. Through dedication, collaboration, and innovation, our library will ensure that every young adult has the opportunity to thrive.