Our urban youth often miss exposure to career options in art, architecture, and design. The Educate, Engage, & Elevate program is a unique initiative that takes students out of their usual environment and introduces them to a world of possibilities in these fields. The challenge is to inspire the students to get excited about art, design, and architecture and understand how that connects with creating their own business. This allows the students to grow and challenge themselves, envisioning themselves as potentially successful entrepreneurs in the fields of art, architecture, and design.

This is a dynamic innovation for the Library as it establishes unique connections with partners in the immediate community. The Library served as the liaison between the private business and the public school, becoming the source of community building in this endeavor. This further strengthens the Library as an integral part of the community. The program itself provided exposure to the Library and its resources, creating the opportunity for increased library usage and circulation. Finally and most importantly, the Library served as the catalyst for opportunity for urban youth by creating and delivering this program with its community partners.

The anticipated impact of the Educate, Engage, & Elevate program is, ultimately, to open new possibilities and inspire our urban youth population in the areas of art, architecture, design, and entrepreneurship. An anticipated outcome is to establish the Library as an integral partner in the community and forge future collaborations with private and public agencies to further empower our youth.