The Franklin Public Library has developed quite a checklist of goals for area teens – learn lifelong skills, explore job options and create connections within the community. Fortunately for the youth, the Adulting 101 program covers all three.
One of the newest additions to the library’s offering, Adulting 101 branches out from the walls of the 12th Street building and into the surrounding businesses and community organizations. And it offers any age 12 to 18 the opportunity to explore and learn along the way.
“The overall goal is to equip teens with a wide array of life skills to take with them into their adult lives while also introducing them to different career options and building relationships between the teens and their community,” said Diadre Green, teen services coordinator for Oil Region Library Association.
She developed the program and its curriculum to touch on an array of topics covered that can be paired with trade career possibilities. The program will offer a mix of workshops, hands-on activities, local field visits and expert instruction all under the umbrella of a common theme specific to the month.
As an example of what the program will offer, Green explained the three sessions planned for March, which has the theme Cooking Essentials. “The first workshop will be a presentation put on by Bethany from Kontaxes Nutrition on March 10 at the library,” she said. “The following day will be a hands-on workshop about grocery store and cooking skills held at the library and also Sanders Market, and the third workshop for the month will be held at Benjamin's Roadhouse so the teens can tour the restaurant.”
Themes for the remainder of the year include the following:
To determine the themes, she researched similar programs at other libraries, reached out to coworkers and talked with community members. Green believes one of the things that will make the program strong is how it can be adapted month to month to reflect the overall theme, so the types of activities, speakers or field visits can vary.
“Also because we are tying in careers with each theme, we are trying to have at least one workshop a month where the teens actually go to a place of business to see what it's like to work in that establishment,” she said.
One of the newest additions to the library’s offering, Adulting 101 branches out from the walls of the 12th Street building and into the surrounding businesses and community organizations. And it offers any age 12 to 18 the opportunity to explore and learn along the way.
“The overall goal is to equip teens with a wide array of life skills to take with them into their adult lives while also introducing them to different career options and building relationships between the teens and their community,” said Diadre Green, teen services coordinator for Oil Region Library Association.
She developed the program and its curriculum to touch on an array of topics covered that can be paired with trade career possibilities. The program will offer a mix of workshops, hands-on activities, local field visits and expert instruction all under the umbrella of a common theme specific to the month.
As an example of what the program will offer, Green explained the three sessions planned for March, which has the theme Cooking Essentials. “The first workshop will be a presentation put on by Bethany from Kontaxes Nutrition on March 10 at the library,” she said. “The following day will be a hands-on workshop about grocery store and cooking skills held at the library and also Sanders Market, and the third workshop for the month will be held at Benjamin's Roadhouse so the teens can tour the restaurant.”
Themes for the remainder of the year include the following:
- April – Mending & Caring for Clothing
- May – Car Maintenance
- June – Knowing Your Body & Communication (Learning about vitals, CPR, and the correct way to communicate with your peers)
- July – Budgeting & Handling Money
- August – Lawn Care & Power Tool Safety
- September – Connecting to the Arts & Your Community
- October – IT & Technology
- November – Electricity & Plumbing
- December – Safety
To determine the themes, she researched similar programs at other libraries, reached out to coworkers and talked with community members. Green believes one of the things that will make the program strong is how it can be adapted month to month to reflect the overall theme, so the types of activities, speakers or field visits can vary.
“Also because we are tying in careers with each theme, we are trying to have at least one workshop a month where the teens actually go to a place of business to see what it's like to work in that establishment,” she said.
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Adulting 101 is being funded by a grant from the William and Elizabeth Fund for the Trades, which means all teens, regardless of their library card status, can participate for free in as many workshops as they would like each month. The only requirement, other than age, is that participants preregister for what they would like to attend.
Details about the time and location of each workshop will be included on each month’s registration form. Attendance for each workshop will be capped at 25.
To sign up, complete the form on the ORLA website at www.oilregionlibraries.org/youth/teens.
Community members may volunteer to help teach classes and host field visits by connecting Green at [email protected].
Details about the time and location of each workshop will be included on each month’s registration form. Attendance for each workshop will be capped at 25.
To sign up, complete the form on the ORLA website at www.oilregionlibraries.org/youth/teens.
Community members may volunteer to help teach classes and host field visits by connecting Green at [email protected].
| Green sees Auldting 101 as an extension of what schools already do to teach life skills within the traditional classroom setting and a way to connect teens to the businesses and organizations in the Franklin area in a way that will benefit everyone. “Since we are asking the community as a whole to help with this program, this should greatly increase the knowledge and first-hand experience we can make available to our teen population,” she said. |  |
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