Teen Advisory Boards Groups Jenny Virgin and Heather Morton—Obion County Mecca Caron—Maury County

1. Teen Advisory Boards GroupsJenny Virgin and Heather Morton—Obion CountyMecca Caron—Maury County

2. ACT – Advisory Council of/by/for TeensCTA – Council of Teen AdvisorsLTC – Library Teen CouncilT-MAD – Teens Making a DifferenceYAAC – Young Adult Advisory Council or CommitteeYAAG – Young Adult Advisory GroupWRAP – Readers and Writers Advisory PanelFrom Library Teen Advisory Groups: A VOYA Guide by Diane P. Tuccillo

3. Get ThemPromote & publicize - visit local schoolsWelcome everyoneBuild relationshipsEntice them - bribery worksExplain the positives - college applications, referencesSet guidelines – ages, application

4. Recruiting and Starting a Group Visit Schools during lunch or parent night. Hang flyers and set out brochures in places teens frequent. Video stores Coffee shops Schools Churches

5. Recruiting and Starting a Group Recruitment Party to Kick Things Off: Food Cokes Games Prizes Music

6. Recruiting and Starting a Group Bylaws, applications, agendas, and sign in sheets keep it real. Make it fit YOUR personality as well as your group’s. Other samples http://tsla.libguides.com/content.php?pid=177083&sid=1590309

7. Sample Meeting AgendaTriviaOld/New businessCalendarNew stuffBooks into movies, YA books, booktalksCool websitesProject timeActivities , Games, Crafts

8. How to be a good administratorBE POSITIVE/LISTEN: even if you don't think an idea will work, hear it out & think of ways it could workSET GUIDELINES: best if these are drawn up by the group members, but stick to them & enforce them.

9. How to be a good administrator BE REAL. Be yourself. Be a stable adult figure & the group will appreciate it.MAKE IT FUN: icebreakers go a long way towards helping the group get to know each other & feel comfortable enough to open up.HAVE EVERYONE PARTICIPATE: make sure everyone is heard & the group isn't being dominated by a few vocal people.

10. Recruiting and Starting a Group Letting Teens express themselves while hanging out is always fun. Even better when they come up with the idea themselves! We use their ideas… with our supervision & sometimes tweaking… to keep their morale up.

11. Worst Dressed Most Comical Recruiting and Starting a Group Highest Volunteer Hours Best Dressed Best Attitude Tag Award Night Who has given their best and been the best!

12. Recruiting and Starting a Group One thing we want our Taggers to always express is individuality. We want them to be themselves and have their own ideas. This is when we came up with the Idea Sheet, a piece of paper that they can put their ideas down on and see if they get approved or not. This is when their very own Music Video came about!

13. Tag You! “Tag You” Written and Performed by John-Alex Warner. Original Song “Forget You” Written By Cee lo Green

14. Recruiting and Starting a Group Our TAGGERS’ Favorite Activities: Water Gun Fight MovieNight Gaming Lock In Piano Coffee Bar Scavenger Hunt Iron Chef Summer Reading Help

15. Maury Co. TAG Favs • Anime Fest • Bake Sales campaign to raise aid funds for Haiti • Video Game Nights/Lock-Ins • Video/Book Trailer Filming

16. Helping Teens Plan Programs • The Ultimate: Teens do it themselves . . . with your approval/oversight. EMPOWER THEM • Guiding questions to use with your teens • What do you want to do? What will you need?Who do you know? What will it cost? What can you get donated?

17. Helping Teens Plan Programs • Help them create a task list and timeline • Who’s going to do what? • When does it need to be accomplished? • LEADERSHIP & LIFE SKILLS

18. Volunteering • Your TAG can be an invaluable asset to your library AND the community! • Teens can help with youth programs • Regular volunteer hours at the library • Volunteer regularly at local food pantry or soup kitchen • GIVES THE LIBRARY ANOTHER POSITIVE IDENTITY IN THE COMMUNITY – MARKETING AND PR!

19. “You aren’t serious.” “You consider our opinions.” Recruiting and Starting a Group “ All the Activities” “It’s not a dictatorship.” “You actually like hanging out with us.” “It is fun.” “We all GET each other.” “I am chained to the building.” “You let us know you care about us.” “I signed a contract in blood.” We asked our TAGGERS why they continue to come in to volunteer… “Our ideas that we come up with actually happen. If we asked for it to rain watermelons, you would probably take us on the roof and let us drop watermelons on the ground. And then make us clean it up.”

20. Assist with Summer Reading • Help register • Check reading logs • Crowd management • Act as “ushers” • Read a story, tell jokes, or present • a skit prior to start of performance

21. Assist with Summer Reading • Prepare certificates & goody bags • Marketing • Help distribute flyers & posters • Perform/record radio or TV skit for publicity

22. Inspire us to be the best we can be. It is never work when helping TAG. Help us face tomorrow. Lift our spirits! Days spent with Tag: If you are someone that can not deal with how teens are in today’s society, then this is not the right job for you. We are Blessed to have this Job!

23. "There’s a radical – and wonderful – new idea here… that all children could and should be inventors of their own theories, critics of other people’s ideas, analyzers of evidence, and makers of their own personal marks on the world.  Its an idea with revolutionary implications.  If we take it seriously.“ - Deborah Meier