This article was written by Madian Romero, Circulation Manager at Caviglia-Arivaca Library
At the Caviglia-Arivaca Library, we believe in fostering a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone, especially our teens and tweens. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we’ve worked hard to create programs tailored just for them. We want them to know that we’re here for them. We have a teen section full of manga, comic and dystopian books. We offer craft programs, Homework Help, resume writing resources, and a Teen Advisory Board (TAB), which we hope will grow over time. We have lots to offer and we fear that teens don’t know about it.
Our main goal is to let them know we’re here for them and that we’re trying our best to help them. This past summer, we supported two teenagers by providing work experience as teen. Every summer, Pima County One-Stop Center sponsors the Summer Youth Internship program that gives youth an opportunity to work during the summer.
Jasmine is 15 years old; she just started high school and was looking forward to her automotives class. She’s been a TAB member for almost two years. During one of the meetings, she learned about the program and the potential to work near home. Since Jasmine already knew the staff and enjoyed volunteering, she was excited to apply. She worked with us for 2 months!
When we asked her what she thought working at the library would be like, Jasmine said, “I thought there was going to be more shelving and less art. I got to decorate the library; I was not expecting that.” Jasmine excelled at creating book nooks, which are miniature dioramas typically displayed on bookshelves. She made four for the library, each bringing a fun touch of to our shelves! She also helped with library programs that we hosted at the Arivaca Community Center. “I’m not very extroverted, so having to be with a bunch of people was challenging. I’m not used to it.”
Like Jasmine, Denalli, a 17-year-old with a passion for photography and graphic design, also joined us as an intern. Denalli has had babysitting jobs and works in her family business, a butcher shop. One of the staff members had asked her if she had any plans for the summer, and she said she wanted to get a job. That’s when we introduced her to the program. Denalli said, “I wanted to try something new, so I didn’t know what to expect.” Her favorite part of the job was shelving. “It gave me something to focus on and was very calming.”
Denalli was a huge help creating our popular outdoor activity, the Secret Garden Scavenger Hunt. We have a board outside with 10 pictures of little figurines or painted rocks that are hiding in plain sight in our garden. The goal is to find them and claim a prize from our treasure chest. Denalli helped design and come up with fun sentences to add to the scavenger hunt list. When asked what the most challenging part was about her job, she said getting the hang of it and getting used to do things she never thought about before.
They both agreed that they learned the importance of shelving correctly and the importance of alphabetization. Denalli enjoyed learning about Microsoft Publisher to make fliers and Jasmine enjoyed making all the awesome book nooks showing her growing creativity. Jasmine said, “Working here was a great first job for me, especially here in Arivaca. The librarians are friendly.” Denalli adds, “It was easy and fun!” When asked if they would want to work at the Caviglia-Arivaca Library again in the future, they both said yes.
We loved having Jasmine and Denalli work with us. Hopefully we gave them the initial work experience they need for their future jobs and who knows… maybe they’ll pursue a library career. We were so lucky to see another side of them that we normally don’t get to see when they come in as customers. Hopefully, other youth in Arivaca will pursue the opportunities we can give them—from books and resources to a safe place to can hangout.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Denalli, Jasmine, and all the youth in Arivaca.
