YAAS: Hygiene Packs

If you want to learn about the original conception and mission of this program, read my What is YAAS? post. TL;DR: It's a weekly group for youth age 14-24 where we'll be doing community service work, library programs, hosting guest presenters, and making connections with peers in a safe and welcoming environment.

The idea for this program originally stemmed from wanting to make a donation to a women's shelter in honor of Women's History Month. We ended up assembling hygiene packs for A New Leaf shelters to use at whichever of their locations needs it most.

YAAS! members donated toothpaste, shampoo, pads and tampons, and other necessities, and my family donated mini shampoo and conditioner packs we found in bulk from The Dollar Tree. We were also able to purchase a small amount of supplies using our programming budget. The result was over 50 hygiene packs that A New Leaf can give to anyone who needs them. 

When I called to inquire about the donations, they also asked if I'd like to schedule a tour for our group. In a few months, YAAS! will have the opportunity to travel outside the library and see the facilities where our donations are being used, which is a very cool opportunity you don't often get after donating to an organization. Stay tuned for that outing... in the meantime, here are some happy young adults making hygiene packs for those in need!

 

 

YAAS: Women's History Month

If you want to learn about the original conception and mission of this program, read my What is YAAS? post. TL;DR: It's a weekly group for youth age 14-24 where we'll be doing community service work, library programs, hosting guest presenters, and making connections with peers in a safe and welcoming environment.

March is Women's History Month, and we take it very seriously at our library! In addition to this program, my coworker Sarah did a Women's History Month storytime and a giant book display. Plus, next week we're further celebrating WHM by assembling hygiene packs for a local women's shelter. 

This week, we welcomed my friend Sydney, who is a social worker and very involved in educating young people on black history and women's history. Sydney gave a presentation on famous women from the 1700's to present day, including some of our newest Congress members who have the distinction of being the first of their gender, race, or religion to be sworn in. Here's a full list of the women Sydney presented:

• Michele Obama (1964-): First lady of the USA 2008-2016, writer and activist
• Jane Elliot May (1933-): Created the blue vs. brown eyes experiment in 1968
• Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Born a slave, became free in 1827 and advocated for abolition, women's rights, and civil rights until her death
• Jane Adams (1860-1935): Known as the mother of social work
• Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992): Trans woman, LGBTQ+ rights activist, known for being one of the original instigators of the Stonewall Riots
• Sylvia Rivera (1951-1992): Latina LGBTQ+ rights activist, founded Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Marsha P. Johnson
• Gloria Steinem (1934-): Known as the mother of modern feminism, prolific writer and activist
• Harriet Tubman (c1820-1913): Most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad, born into slavery and became free in 1949, advocated for abolition, acted as a Civil War spy
• Maya Angelou (1928-2014): Poet, memoirist, actor, singer, activist, worked with Malcom X and Dr. MLK Jr. during the Civil Rights movement
• Rosa Parks (1913-2005): Her actions sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, civil rights activist, granddaughter of slaves
• Mary McLeod Bethune (1975-1955): Educator, stateswoman, philanthropist, civil rights activist
• Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962): First lady of the USA 1933-1945, one of the most politically involved first ladies to date
• Ellen Degeneres (1958-): Comedian, TV show host, actor, LGBTQ+ activist, publically came out as a lesbian on her sitcom in the late 90's and it was a Big Deal
• Ilhan Omar (1981-): First Somali-American to be elected to legislative office and US Congress
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (1989-): Youngest woman to serve on US Congress at 29 years old
• Debra Haaland (1960-): One of the first Native American women to be elected to US Congress
• Sharice Davids (1980-): First openly LGBTQ+ Native American elected to US Congress
• Ayanna Pressley (1974-): First black woman elected to the Boston City Council, first black woman to represent Massachusetts on US Congress

As always, my kiddos had excellent insightful questions and soaked up the discussion like sponges. I really appreciate that this presentation included a lot of influential women from their lifetime! It made the subject more real and topical to them, instead of sticking only with women from centuries ago.

All About Space with Tanya of Mars

I have recently met a fantastic local research scientist, Tanya Harrison. She works at Arizona State University, and does all kinds of fancy things with the Mars Rover and outer space. Basically, she's a science rock star and I'm so glad that she was able to come to our library for a program.

March is Women's History Month, so I asked Tanya if she could talk about women in space as part of her presentation. She put together a fantastic PowerPoint just long enough to get the school-age kids in attendance interested, but not so long that they were falling asleep. She talked about the first several women in space, and also briefly about her work at ASU. Here is what I learned that I didn't know before:

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space, in 1963.

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space in 1983.

Mae C. Jemison was the first African-American woman in space in 1992.

Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman in space in 1993.

After the history of women in space and a short overview of her work, it was time to make a solar system bracelet! It took 20-30 minutes to put the bracelets together, but the kids really enjoyed following the directions in the kit to put together an accurate solar system they can wear. This project unexpectedly doubled as a fine motor skill builder AND an exercise in understanding written directions!

 

Finally, thanks to Tanya and ASU, we were lucky enough to be able to raffle off the new American Girl doll to the program participants.

Luciana has recently been named the American Girl Doll of the Year for 2018. She wants to be an astronaut when she grows up, so it was the perfect fit for this program. Each child in attendance wrote their name on a sparkly card stock star, and the winner was drawn at the end of the program. The little girl who won was already an American Girl enthusiast, and was really excited to add Luciana to her collection. I love giving away awesome prizes like this!

Overall, an incredibly successful and fun program. I can't wait to have Tanya back for Summer Reading, when she will be a guest at Mad Science!

You can follow Tanya on Twitter @tanyaofmars or visit her website, TanyaOfMars.com. 

Here is a list of books I pulled for display at the program:

Adult Nonfiction

• Notable Women Scientists—Pamela Proffitt (ed) 
• Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars—Nathalia Holt 
• Hidden Figures—Margot Lee Shetterly 
• Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space—Rosanne Welch 

Juvenile Nonfiction

• Women Astronomers: Reaching for the Stars—Mabel Armstrong 
• Exploring the Solar System: A History with 22 Activities—Mary Kay Carson 
• Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet—Buzz Aldrin with Marianne J. Dyson 
• Connie & Bonnie’s Birthday Blastoff—Ray Nelson Jr. and Douglas Kelly 
• When You Look Up at the Moon—Allan Fowler 
• Voyager’s Greatest Hits: The Epic Trek to Interstellar Space—Alexandra Siy 
• Space Encyclopedia: A Tour of Our Solar System and Beyond—David A. Aguilar 
• Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space—Carole Ann Camp 
• Ellen Ochoa: The First Hispanic Woman in Space—Joy Paige 
• To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space—Carmella Van Vleet and Dr. Kathy Sullivan