GREEN TEEN PROGRAMMING IN THE COMMUNITIES

by: Roslyn SprowellLIS 418

TEENS TEACHINGThe youth of today are the future of tomorrow. Many adults do not take teens seriously enough, figuring they care more about celebrities and the next reality TV series than real-world issues. But many teenagers today realize climate change is an issue that will hit them in the face as adults if they don’t take strides to make changes today. They believe that getting into nature and not being so wasteful is important in their lives.

However, today Teens Turning Green, a student-led movementstarted in 2005 in the Bay Area of California that has now spread nationwide.Members of Teens Turning Green are devoted to education and to advocatingenvironmentally responsible choices for themselves, their schools, and theircommunities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vGM-R-GHlI&feature=youtu.be

Green TeensGreen Teens is one of the nation’s few paid urban forestry vocational skills training programs. The program provides low-income, at-risk San Francisco youth ages 14-19 with a dynamic work experience that prepares them for the “green” jobs market.

The Green Teens are also trained in long-term employability and life skills. Participants attend workshops on resume/cover letter writing, interviewing, financial literacy, and nutrition. Throughout the program, the youth meet professionals in the field, such as certified arborists and landscapers.During the school year we hold two sessions of Green Teens, meeting every Saturday for 12 weeks and one evening per month. We hold one summer session from mid-July through mid-August, meeting Tuesdays through Saturdays.

TEENS EDUCATING OTHERS

The Conscious Kitchen partners with schools, guiding them to implement food programs based on five foundational principles: fresh, local, organic, seasonal, non-GMO (FLOSN).

A Teens Turning Green spring initiative to inspire students to re think their wardrobe choices and gain an understanding about the global and environmental impact of simple purchases. The goal is to encourage a transition from conventional to conscious thinking for every day fashion!

A new program, FG15 is designed to offer resources for incoming freshmen to build a foundation for conscious college living.

Librarians can easily get involved in these activities by providing students alocation to meet, resources to assist teens, and educational experiences to help them research and apply knowledge to a real-world project. Whether at a school or a public library, librarians can offermany other small and large environmentally sustainable projects andprograms to teens.

Going green is now a national issue, and patrons expect their library to respond in the same way many corporations have. Libraries are going green with logos on their Web sites, programs for the public, and a host of other initiatives. This is the first book to focus strictly on the library’s role in going green.

Thanks for Your Attention! Questions?

Resources

Colston, V. (2012). Teens go green! tips, techniques, tools, and themes for YA programming. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited.

Green Teens. (2015). Retrieved July 16, 2015, from http://www.fuf.net/programs-services/community-engagement-education/green-teens/

Marchive, L. (2012). The green teen cookbook: Recipes for all seasons--written by teens, for teens.

Miller, K. (2010). Public libraries going green. ALA Editions.

Ott, V. (2006). Teen programs with punch a month-by-month guide. Westport, Conn.: Libraries

Unlimited.

ReStyled « Turning Green. (2015). Retrieved July 16, 2015, from http://www.teensturninggreen.org/programs/restyled/

Turning Green. (2015). Retrieved July 16, 2015, from http://www.teensturninggreen.org/

Williams, B. (2012). Green Teen Programming. retrieved from: Young Adult Library Services.