Young people are our most valuable asset when it comes to the fight against censorship but activating them can be a challenge for libraries with limited resources and competing priorities.
Brooklyn Public Library has leveraged its years of experience working with teens on the topic of intellectual freedom to develop a free downloadable toolkit that is available to anyone looking to build out teen civic engagement programming. These resources can be used for one-off programs or as part of an ongoing series. This toolkit was designed to be adapted to work for you and your circumstances.
The toolkit's outcomes include developing teen leadership skills, public speaking skills, and listening skills. It aims to foster a love for community engagement and citizenship, as well as an understanding of why and how public libraries and schools fill an important role in American democracy. Activities are designed to support teens in:
The worksheets and slide decks are composed of PDF and PowerPoint files packaged in a ZIP file.