Although I’m not usually involved with teen programming in my current job, I am one of volunteer coordinators for the two libraries where I work, so I do regularly work with teen volunteers.

Volunteers in our system usually have to agree to a commitment of at least six months, and have to have a background check and be fingerprinted if they are over 16. In spite of these requirements, we do have a fair number of teens who help with evening storytime, teach people how to use the 3D printer, help with prepping crafts, straightening shelves, or pulling books for weeding or redistribution, lead Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, and (for a while anyway) read with kids as part of a drop-in Reading Buddies program (this is being replaced by a more formal reading program led by interns).

Recently, one of the teen librarians in our library system started a VolunTEEN program, to provide a way for high school students to earn Community Service hours (a requirement for some of the schools in our area) without all of the normal volunteer requirements. We tried it out in our libraries this Spring, and it has been a big success!

The idea of VolunTEEN is that it’s an hour-long drop-in program overseen by a staff person, which makes it more of a library program, rather than a regular volunteer activity where volunteers are operating without as much direct oversight. We provide snacks, and usually set aside some basic tasks for the teens to do during that time. Some of the tasks they have done are:

• Prepping storytime crafts (cutting out paper templates, checking markers and stamp pads, etc.)
• Cleaning shelves (we provided them with cleaning spray and cloths, and showed them how to carefully move the books onto a cart, wipe down the shelf, and carefully put the books back in order. One teen enjoyed this so much that he stayed for an extra hour, and then came back the next month to do it again).
• Checking board games to make sure all of the pieces are in the box
• Checking video game and DVD cases for the corrent cartridge or disk
• Straightening shelves (just for neatness, not organization)

Some tips that have made the program successful:

• Connecting with the local high schools (especially the community service coordinators) to help promote the VolunTEEN hour. It especially helps when they advertise it in the weekly parent email newsletters
• Providing tasks the teens can work on together, or at least at the same table or in the part of the library. Although not all of them were eager to socialize, some of them really enjoyed getting to talk to other students while they worked
• Putting out name tag stickers, to identify them to library staff and each other
• Providing a sign-in sheet to log their hours (I include a column for them to add their email address, so I can remind them about the next VolunTEEN date. I also have a spreadsheet where I keep track of who attended each month)
• Providing snacks

This program has been a great way to provide community service opportunities for students who aren’t able to volunteer weekly. It’s also helped us with a lot of tasks that we don’t usually have time for, like cleaning the shelves. The turnout isn’t huge (at most we’ve had 6 students at a time), which makes it easy to manage. I’m also hopeful that these students will become more regular users of the library.

Have you hosted any teen programs that you love? Please share them in the comments below.