Do you like helping others? Do you want to gain some volunteering hours to add to your resume or portfolio? Volunteering is a great way to gain some experience for work and a great way to show off the things you have done when applying for post secondary education. I don't know about you, but I also find volunteering to be a rewarding experience. It feels great to know that I'm helping someone to learn something new or improve on skills that they already have.

If you are in grades 7 to 12 the Calgary Public Library has several volunteer opportunities that you can be a part of. Check out all the volunteer possibilities that we have for you: Computer Buddies, Cyber Seniors, ESL Teen Talk, Peer to Peer Study Group, Reading Buddies, and Library Mascot "Curious" Are you interested in volunteering at a specific branch? Check out the current opportunities at each branch. If you are interested in volunteering in one of these programs, fill out this application form either online or pick one up at your closest library.

Frustrated with how the semester ended? Ok, so in September you were really ambitious to start the school year off with a bang and keep it up for the entire school year. Yet things haven't worked out as you had planned, right? Does everything your teacher tell you sound foreign to you? No worries, Central library has the solution for you!! From Monday, February 4 to Monday, April 29 (with the exception of February 18), we have a gathering place on the second floor for teens to meet with teen volunteers to get help with their homework, from 4:30 to 6:30. You are more than welcome to stick around until 8 pm to finish anything that you have already started. Check out these previous blogs, OMG, it's due tomorrow and Kick Next Semesters @$$ for some great homework help databases. Don't forget to check out all the other awesome programs that we have for you to check out.

Feeling the graduation stress? Still need volunteer hours? Looking for something to pad out that resume? We can help you with that!

The Reading Buddies program is looking for volunteers! Come hang out with kids in grades 1-3, take part in awesome crafts, and help your little buddy practice their reading in a fun-filled environment.

If you’re in grades 7-12, we would love to have you take part in this program! We still have openings at the following locations:

Alexander Calhoun: Thursdays, January 24 – March 21 from 4:30-5:45

Forest Lawn: Tuesdays, January 22 – March 19 from 4:00-5:15

Glenmore Square: Tuesdays, January 22 – March 19 from 4:30-5:45

Shaganappi: Tuesdays, January 22 – March 19 from 4:30-5:45

To register, please contact Brin Bugo (403-260-2709 or brin.bugo@calgarypubliclibrary.com) or Jody Watson (403-221-2062 or jody.watson@calgarypubliclibrary.com)! We’re looking forward to having you join our awesome team of teen volunteers!

By Brin

Okay, so it's mid semester and you're overloaded with homework. Right, ... right? Yeah, I thought so. Plus this is putting a serious cramp on your social life right? Well we, at Central, have the perfect solution for you. On Mondays (including this Monday the 26th!) from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. we have created a special study space for teens to work in on the third floor. Teen volunteers (Honours' and IB students) will be on hand to help you with your homework! Plus you can stick around until 8pm to finish what you started. Awesome right? Upcoming dates are Nov 26, Dec 03, and Dec 10. Teens in Grades 10 to 12 can come get help with your homework from other students. Plus check out some of our previous blogs for awesome homework help databases and other cool after-school programs offered at the library. Need a tutor? Due tomorrow? = No Problem! Did I mention the social possibilities of homework?? Always a way to meet new people...

As a teen I was part of the Peer-Support team at my high school. It was great! Mind you it wasn't a study group, but I definitely made some lasting friendships through it, plus learning a thing or two about psychology. My point being, that Peer to Peer homework support is a great place to do your homework in silence, and get out of the house, increasing your social network at the same time. Killing the birds of homework, better grades, happy teachers and socializing in one fell swoop. How could your parents possibly argue with that? Come on down!

Altogether too often people get caught up with talk about how terrible the state of the world is. Crime, poverty, environmental crisis and inequality can get downright depressing. I know plenty of people who have simply stopped listening to the news because it gets them down. Add to that pending destruction of earth in late 2012 and the many prophecies about fire and brimstone and you'd be tempted to give up on life.

Not long ago I met a Junior High school teacher named Kate McKenzie. Kate teaches current events and as you can imagine, this can be a very heavy topic. Early on in the year, Kate's students said they were getting super depressed by all the negativity in the news. Kate didn't want to leave her students feeling hopeless, so she set out to show them all the good things going on in the world.

Because there are good things going on!

Kate is determined to prove to her students that there are ways to combat hopelessness - she is travelling to 8 countries in 8 months and documenting inspiring stories of people doing great things to build their community. Learn more about her project here.

While she's away, we are partnering to provide a youth leadership opportunity.

Kate and The Calgary Public Library want to help fight hopelessness by equipping Calgary youth with the leadership skills they need to get involved in their communities and have a positive impact. We're calling it Youth Worldviews Project.

A series of four sessions will be held in which youth can come together to discuss what they can do to make a difference in their community. Mentoring opportunities will be available including Skype sessions with Kate. Ideas like marketing, volunteer recruitment, grant writing, and event planning will be discussed.

Come! Join us! Help make a difference.

Events will be held at the Central Library on the second floor on these dates:

February 18th from 12:00-1:30 pm

April 28th from 12:1:30pm

May 26th from 11:30-1:00pm

September 15th from 12:00-1:30pm

I can't wait to hear about how you plan to get involved!

You may have heard that we have started a Youth Advisory Council. Yay!

Last April we ran a YAC (great acronym, eh?) for three weeks and we loved all the feedback we got from our youth volunteers. In fact, it went so well that we decided to establish a permanent one.

We started YAC because we realize that the best way to make our teen services and spaces better is to ask teens for their opinions and input. So--YAC will officially start in October.

The thing is, in order for YAC to run we need volunteers! We're looking for youth between the ages of 14-17 to volunteer for approximately 2 hours per week from October – June. If you are interested in this opportunity or have any questions about it please email TeenServices@calgarypubliclibrary.com and tell us why you would like to volunteer.

Now, let me tell you why this is an awesome opportunity. YAC will give you a chance to build leadership skills and to share your ideas. You will be able to help shape library programs and services so that we can make them better for youth throughout Calgary. It'll be great...for so many reasons. A good way to meet people, to have a say, to build your resume and to help make Calgary better.

Last Saturday, April 9th, The Calgary Public Library held it's first Youth Advisory Council! We're pretty stoked.

We've established the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) because we want to hear what you want from us. YAC provides a way for you to express your ideas and to help us shape your library service into something that works for you.

So far we've only had one meeting. We will have two more and then break for the summer. However, starting in September 2011 we will establish a permanent YAC that will meet monthly. We are looking for youth volunteers who are interested in expressing their ideas. If you are keen to volunteer and are between 13-18 years old, please email Jilliane at jilliane.yawney@calgarypubliclibrary.com and explain why you'd like to be involved. We look forward to hearing from you!

Go to The Calgary Service Canada Centre for Youth (SCCY) on Friday, August 6th from 1-4pm for a "SCCY Quest" where you will learn about the great programs and services available downtown for youth to utilize in their quest for a career. Best of all-it's FREE!.

Where: 220-4th Ave SE, Room 280

When: Friday, August 6th from 1pm-4pm

What: Cool activites to help you learn about resoures in downtown Calgary for youth with a focus on employment and volunteer opportunities

Why: Why not? It's FREE!

Note: Youth under 15 must have their parents sign a waiver stating they can participate. To locate a waiver or for any other questions regarding this event please call 403-292-5020

The Library is looking for teens to share their time and skills to make a difference! Gain job experience, build new skills, and enjoy the satisfaction of helping others by volunteering with our Reading Buddies and Computer Buddies programs!

Reading Buddies is a fun 7-week program that pairs teen volunteers with young readers in Grades 1-3. Under the supervision of library staff, the trained volunteers meet their little buddy at the library once a week to participate in group literacy activities and one-on-one mentoring.

Volunteer for Computer Buddies and develop your mentoring abilities, meet new people, and help younger students in Grades 1 to 6 improve their computer skills. It’s a great opportunity to help elementary students discover that there is more to computers than just playing games – but we do a little of that too! From Internet Search Techniques to Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point, Computer Buddies combines skill-building with fun.

See the Program Guide for dates.

Contact 403-221-2036 (Computer Buddies) or 403-221-2062, 403-260-2709 (Reading Buddies) for more information or to volunteer.

Do you need some volunteer hours for school? Do you want to help cute littlies learn how to read? You can do that at the Library!

We need:

Reading Buddies volunteers for Bowness Library

• Mondays 4:30 - 6:00 pm
• October 5 to December 7

Reading Buddies volunteers for Forest Lawn Library

• Thursdays 4:00 - 5:30 pm
• October 8 to December 10

Interested? Fill out the Youth Volunteer Application here, or contact us. Talk to Samuel (403-260-2709) or Tammy (403-221-2062).

And for the tech-savvy, try Computer Buddies. In this program, you will help students in Grades 1 to 6 learn to safely navigate the Internet and get creative with Microsoft Office.

We need:

Computer Buddies volunteers for Bowness Library

• Mondays 6:30 - 7:30 pm
• October 19 to December 7

Computer Buddies volunteers for Forest Lawn Library

• Wednesdays 4:00 - 5:00 pm
• October 21 to December 9

To volunteer for Computer Buddies, contact Jessica Hagel at 403-221-2036, or at jessica.hagel@calgarypubliclibrary.com.