This program will highlight Bridges & Books, one of the first and only teen literature podcasts created and hosted by teens, featuring teen-hosted interviews with New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors of teen literature. The session will cover the process of putting teens in leadership positions for the creation of the podcast as well as the experience of developing the first season of the podcast releasing in late May 2021 featuring interviews with authors Elise Bryant, J. Elle, Kit Frick, Romina Garber, Joan He, Adiba Jaigirdar, Ryan La Sala, Rachael Lippincott, Rhiannon Richardson, and Ashley Woodfolk.

Kelsey Ford
Adult Leader of Bridges & Books Podcast
Kelsey L. Ford (she/her) is the creator of Bookish in the ‘Burgh, Pittsburgh’s Teen Book Festival, as well as the adult advisor of Bridges & Books, a YA literature podcast created by teens and for teens. She was named one of “13 Luminaries to Meet in 2020” by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for her work with teens through Bookish in the ‘Burgh and is a passionate advocate of amplifying teen voices and championing diverse teen books. Kelsey holds a B.S. in Advertising & Public Relations and an M.A. in Arts Management. She will graduate with an M.S. in Library & Information Science with a focus on youth services in May 2022. She currently works as the Manager of Marketing & Development at the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus and spends her spare time advising teen-created literary programs across Pennsylvania and writing novels.

Between school work, outside jobs, and extracurricular activities teens are over scheduled often struggling to find time to complete volunteer hours. Virtual volunteer opportunities assist in giving teens the opportunity to volunteer on their own time. The Ocean County Library turned their popular 8-week summer volunteer program into a highly successful virtual program. The session will provide information on the format used, technology needed, activities, and how hours were awarded. Librarians will also share insight received from the program, including survey responses, program ideas, and how they continue to offer digital volunteering in the future.

Cecilia Pasqualicchio
Cecilia Pasqualicchio is a librarian of five years in Youth Services. She loves working with teens especially promoting their love for all things nerdy such as manga, anime, and gaming. She graduated with a BA in English/Film & Media Studies from Rider University and has her MLIS from Kent State University. She currently works as a Teen Librarian at the Ocean County Library.

 

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Kel Rowan
Kel Rowan (they/them) is a Teen Services Librarian for the Ocean County Library. Kel was inspired to become a librarian by the librarians who supported them in their youth. Prior to becoming a librarian they ran a summer volunteer program at the library, which they insist to this day is the world’s best job. They have now been a librarian for 3 years and have enjoyed all their time spent with teens and even the challenges of programming through a pandemic. Kel aims to create safer spaces for LGBTQ Youth in libraries. When they’re not at work, they enjoy a good cup of coffee and long walks through the forest with their pup.

COVID-19 has altered the way youth live and learn. It is imperative for libraries to alter services to meet the growing need of homeschoolers and at home learners, This session will share insight on how one librarian inherited a homeschooling program concept that has grown into a national advocacy platform. Historically education has taken root in progress, this program has roots in the mission and vision to support equity and inclusion through a lens of social justice as fundamental values of American Library Association: to the underserved and the most vulnerable populations. We can’t remain stagnant.

Christina Caputo,
Youth Services Librarian and author of “Library Services to Homeschoolers: a Guide”
Christina Giovannelli Caputo has over twenty years’ experience in education and librarianship and is a change agent recognized for dedication and advocacy for inclusive and equitable services to alternative schooling methodologies within marginalized groups. Caputo conceptualized and spearheads the “All Learners Welcome- At Home Learners and Homeschool” current initiative that has united libraries and school districts to work cohesively across the nation to support diverse learners during COVID-19. She teaches for the American Library Association on engaging at-home learners in libraries and serves as a youth librarian in Illinois.

Facilitated by Librarian Julia Torres, Co-founder of Disrupt Texts and member of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) Board of Directors, critically acclaimed authors Paula Chase, Tiffany D. Jackson and Kim Johnson will challenge participants to think about how increasing the breadth and depth of the experiences reflected in their collections can leverage teens’ intrinsic motivation to learn. Using material from their work, the panelists will explore how novels can help teens find their voice and speak out about issues important to them.

Julia Torres
JULIA E. TORRES is a nationally recognized veteran language arts teacher-librarian in Denver, Colorado. Julia facilitates teacher development workshops rooted in the areas of anti-racist education, equity and access in literacy and librarianship, and education as a practice of liberation. Julia’s work has been featured on NPR, AlJazeera’s The Stream, PBS Education, KQED’s MindShift, Rethinking Schools, Learning for Justice Magazine, and many more. She is a current Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award committee member, a member of both the Book Love Foundation and ALAN boards of directors, an Educolor Steering committee member, a The Educator Collaborative Book Ambassador, and a co-founder of #DisruptTexts.

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Paula Chase

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kim Johnson
Kim Johnson held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen and in college, and is now an author and incoming interim vice provost at the University of Oregon. She maintains engagement in various organizations while also mentoring Black student leaders and serving as a graduate advisor and member of an historically Black sorority.

This Is My America is her bestselling novel that explores racial injustice against innocent Black men who are criminally sentenced and the families left behind to pick up the pieces. She is an award-winning novelist, with 2021 accolades that include the Pacific Northwest Book Award, YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction, and the ILA Notable Books for a Global Society. Her novel also received recognition as a NPR Concierge Best Books and Kirkus Best Fiction, Amazon Teacher’s pick, and a Junior Library Guild and Project Lit Community Book selection. Her novel has also been selected for the Spirit of Texas and Humanities of Tennessee 8-12th grade reading programs for their respective States.

She holds degrees from the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland, College Park.

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Tiffany D. Jackson

Positive Youth Development is an established philosophical and practical approach to teen services. Five key Positive Youth Development principles are Strengths Based, Inclusive, Engage Youth as Partners, Collaborative, and Sustainable. But what do real teens think of these principles? Participants will examine their own approaches to PYD and compare and contrast their interpretation of the principles of Positive Youth Development with those of actual teens.

Thane Benson,
Librarian, Denver Public Library
Thane Benson is a librarian for Denver Public Library. He works with teens to create original programming that fosters creativity and encourages expression among young people. He is the authorof the book Murder Mystery, Graphic Novels, and More: Innovative Programs for Engaging Teens in Your Library. When he is not at the library, Thane moonlights as an independent comic book and graphic novel creator. His work can be found online at www.thanebenson.com and on social media as @thanebenson.

Join us to learn how to advocate for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, whether they’re struggling to access housing, services, education, benefits or more. From leading national advocates, you’ll hear firsthand how to identify a youth in need and connect them with resources that will help them thrive as well as engage in national advocacy campaigns to increase access to housing, education, and services for our young people.

Darla Bardine,
Executive Director of National Network for Youth

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Kelly Russo,
Director of the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness & Poverty
Kelly Russo is the Director of the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness & Poverty in Washington, DC. She coordinates policy development and programming related to the legal needs of people experiencing homelessness and poverty, and she collaborates with national, state and local advocacy groups, associations, and government agencies to provide technical assistance and address issues related to homelessness and poverty. She leads the ABA Homeless Youth Legal Network, a national network that provides information and fosters collaboration to help attorneys and providers address gaps in legal services for homeless youth. She is licensed to practice law in Florida and Washington, DC. She graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law with a J.D. and from Wake Forest University with a B.A.

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Barbara Duffield