Teens are standing up for what they believe in and are looking for ways that they can make a difference in the world. Libraries are in the perfect position to empower teens to make positive change. SJ Engage leveraged the library’s many community partnerships and local government ties to connect teens to the causes they care about through an online curriculum and platform. Also, teens are bombarded everyday with “fake news” and SJ Engage instructs teens on information literacy so that they can evaluate and be informed.

Funded by Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SJ Engage piloted digital volunteerism with our teen volunteers. As the civic curriculum is available online and mobile friendly, teens could earn volunteer hours around their schedule. SJ Engage also boosts teen resumes by providing opportunities to shadow local nonprofits along with internship preferences with state and local government leaders. Educators also have free access to a digital curriculum that connects students' lived experiences to greater social issues.

SJ Engage anticipated that at least 250 San José youth would participate. The achieved actual outcome was 316 participants were from 21 different ZIP codes in the south bay, of which two completed and earned an internship preference. SJ Engage embedded in a high school classroom for one week to enhance the school’s social justice curriculum. Also, 56 youth were connected with local government leaders and a learning circle style discussion with City Councilmember Johnny Khamis where teens were able to voice concerns.