P.F.E.F. P repare F or E mergencies F irst

1. Exercise 4: YA Program ILS522 - Fall 2009 Sara M. Lo Presti P.F.E.F.Prepare For Emergencies First Young Adult Programs based on themes from Life As We Know It by Susan B. Pfeffer

2. Background Information • P.F.E.F., Prepare For Emergencies First, is spelled P.F.E.F. in honor of the author of the 2010 Nutmeg Book Award nominee book Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. • As a Nutmeg Book Award teen nominee, thousands of young adults throughout Connecticut will read this book over the course of the year. • The Nutmeg Book Award encourages children in grades 4-8 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from two lists of ten nominated titles. Jointly sponsored by the Connecticut Library Association (CLA)and the Connecticut Association of School Librarians (CASL), the Nutmeg Committee is comprised of children's librarians and school library media specialists who are members of our sponsoring organizations.

3. Book Summary Miranda is a normal, 16-year-old girl whose main concerns in life are schoolwork, swim meets, and whether or not she will be asked to the prom. But her world is literally ripped apart when a meteor hits the moon, pushing it off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. All the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town. Miranda's family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Even though the family’s stockpiled food supply is dwindling, and a longer-than-normal winter without heat or electricity is ahead of her, Miranda learns that her future is still hers to decide, even if life as she knew it, is over.

4. Rationale • The Southington Community Pantry, a collaborative effort of Southington Community Services and Bread for Life, is in need of non-perishable food items to be distributed to the needy.  • ‘“Due to the downturn in our economy, we have seen a large increase in the number of families needing our assistance.   Our donations are no longer keeping up with the need,’ stated Janet Mellon, Director of Southington Community Services.” • A recent town-wide drive collected about 3,000 pounds of food, which will only last a couple of weeks.

5. Rationale (continued) • Programs capitalize on current interest in disaster stories and movies. The global-disaster tale "2012" opened at No. 1 in the United States with $65 million during its first weekend with a total of $225 million worldwide.

6. Rationale (continued) • Young adult participants will achieve the Search Institute’s Empowerment Assets from the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents 7. Community Values Youth - Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth. 8. Youth as Resources - Young people are given useful roles in the community. 9. Service to Others -Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week. 10. Safety - Young person feels safe at home, school, and in the neighborhood.

7. Intended Outcomes • Students in grades 6 through 12 will replenish the local food pantry, Southington Community Pantry, with non-perishable food items. • Fears about the reality of natural disasters will be reduced through scientific evidence. Emergency preparedness participation will reduce concerns through empowerment. • Participants will have positive social interaction with peers and adults. • Participants will engage in creative expression.

8. Intended Outcomes (continued) • The library will be promoted in a positive light in the community. • Increase awareness of the Nutmeg Book Award in general, and specifically the readership of Life As We Knew It. • Improve information literacy among students by strengthening relationship between the public library and teachers and school media specialists.

9. Program 1: Life As We Knew It: Science Fiction or Fact? • Kristine Larsen, Ph.D., CCSU’s premier astronomy and physics professor and head of the honor’s program, will lead a discussion on the scientific facts and fictions behind disasters involving the earth and outer space in novels and movies like Life As We Knew It. • Dr. Larsen will also address several scenarios, including the current hysteria about the Mayan calendar and Dec 21, 2012. • Question and answer session to follow. • Refreshments will be served: Freeze-Dried Tropical Fruit and water to keep with the theme.

10. Program 1 (continued) • Dr. Larsen, the co-winner of the 2002 Excellence in Teaching Award at CCSU and named a “Great Prof” by Northeast Magazine in 2002, does not fit the mold of a traditional astronomy teacher, which is perfect for the target audience. • Sports tattoos and an eyebrow ring • Loves heavy metal music • Owns rabbits • Has “bracing” sense of humor • “A master of metaphor, Larsen invents scores of comparisons (for instance, the universe might be shaped ‘like a Pringle’s potato chip’) to make white dwarfs and pulsars or abstract ideas on how light is bent by gravity less daunting.”

11. Program 1 (continued) • Admission: Non-perishable food item (all items accepted with the greatest need for cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, tuna fish, peanut butter and jelly) • Target audience: Grades 6 – 12 • Location: Southington Library, with a back-up location of Southington High School if response is too large for the original location. • Registration required in advance at http://www.libraryinsight.com/horzcal.asp?ft=1&jx=sg

12. Program 1 (continued) • Additionally, kickoff P.F.E.F event will introduce the Prepare For Emergencies First concept: • Town food pantries need food • Emergencies not just major catastrophic disasters. In this time of the H1N1 flu, even sickness of a non-salaried breadwinner can create a need • Teens can make a difference. • Challenge teens to participate in upcoming P.F.E.F., as well as make suggestions for other events. • Emergencies are not as frightening if you are prepared.

13. Program 2: Play With Your Food Sculpture Contest • Participants are encouraged to collect multiple non-perishable food items and then create sculptures out of them to compete for prizes. • All food items used in the sculptures will be turned over to the Community Food Pantry. • Examples of more food sculptures are displayed at http://yatoday.wikispaces.com/P.F.E.F.+Play+With+Your+Food

14. Program 2 (continued) • Contest will be run in two stages: Off-site Large School Groups and On-site Timed Individual and Small Groups • Cardboard spacers are allowed between layers. No tape is allowed so that the labels are not marred or destroyed! • Food donations will be picked up at off-site and on-site locations by volunteers from Bread For Life with help from teens.

15. Program 2 (continued) • Locations: Southington Library, John F. Kennedy Middle School, Joseph A. DePaolo Middle School, Southington High School • Target audience: Grades 6 – 12 • Registration required in advance at http://www.libraryinsight.com/horzcal.asp?ft=1&jx=sg

16. Program 2 - Off-site Large School Groups • Promotional invitations to participate will be emailed to every middle school and high school English teacher. • Groups will be given a two-week period to collect food in their classrooms and construct their sculpture. • Contest entry photos will be submitted electronically to http://yatoday.wikispaces.com/P.F.E.F.+Play+With+Your+Food

17. Program 2 - Off-site Large School Groups • Teachers will be asked to reply to the original email invitation from the same email address it was sent to with a photo of the submission and the total number of cans used to authenticate submissions. • Prizes of classroom pizza parties (pizza, soda, and bottled water) will be awarded to two groups: • Most creative • Most food items used.

18. Program 2 - On-site Individual and Small Groups Under Three • Individuals and small groups under three collect non-perishable food items in advance and transport them to the library for a live, one-hour sculpture contest. • Four prizes of $15 Borders gift cards will be awarded to: • Most creative individual • Most food items used by individual • Most creative small group • Most food items used by small group • Refreshments will be served: Freeze-Dried Tropical Fruit and water to keep with the theme.

19. Marketing Plan • Both events will be promoted with posters at the library and at the schools. PDFs of posters will be sent to all English teachers and media specialists to promote the events as well. • The event will be included on the library’s website as well as included in the schools’ electronic newsletters. • Press releases will be sent to the Southington Citizen, The Record Journal, and The Hartford Courant. • Promotional podcasts will posted to http://yatoday.wikispaces.com/YAtoday+Podcasts

20. Marketing Plan

21. Community Partners • The Southington Community Pantry, a collaborative effort of Southington Community Services and Bread for Life • John F. Kennedy Junior High School • Joseph A. DePaolo Middle School • Southington High School • Rinaldi’s Pizza

22. Budget • $10: Speaker – No fee for speaking engagement but requested travel expenses. • $40.00: Borders gift card as thank you • $7.37: Paperback copy of Life As We Knew It for speaker • $129.99: Six #10 Cans Shelf Reliance THRIVE Freeze-Dried Tropical Fruit, Item # 443285 (Cost to be amortized over two programs) • $7.50: Snack-size seal and lock bags for dried fruit (Cost to be amortized over two programs) • $60.00: 250-16.9 oz. bottles of Aquafina water (Cost to be amortized over two programs) • $200 – Two pizza parties for large-group winners • $60 – Four $15 Borders gift cards for individual and small group winners

23. Budget (continued) • Program 1 total costs: $156.12 • Program 2 total costs: $358.00

24. Evaluation • Evaluation will be conducted using the Teen Evaluation of Program from Connecting Young Adults and Libraries, Fourth Edition, by Michele Gorman and Tricia Sullentrop. • Participants can either fill out paper evaluations at the program or online at http://yatoday.wikispaces.com/YAtoday+Program+Evaluation • Follow up questionnaires will be sent to all teachers. • Additionally, evaluation will be done informally based on observation and numbers of participants.