Book club program will target under served, troubled teen populations

The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) announced the theme and book titles for the next round of Great Stories CLUB grants.  Electronic applications for the reading and discussion series will be accepted Sept. 1 through Nov. 2 at www.ala.org/greatstories. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah's Angel Network.

YALSA's Outreach to Young Adults with Special Needs Committee selected "New Horizons" as the Great Stories Club theme, along with the following titles:

“One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies” by Sonya Sones (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
“The Afterlife” by Gary Soto (Harcourt, 2005)
“The Rules of Survival” by Nancy Werlin (Speak, 2008)
Launched in 2005, the Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a book club program designed to reach underserved, troubled teen populations through books relevant to their lives.  All types of libraries (public, school, academic and special) located within or working in partnership with facilities serving troubled teens in the United States and its territories are eligible to apply for a Great Stories Club grant.  Potential organizations for Great Stories CLUB partnerships include juvenile justice facilities, drug rehabilitation centers, nonprofits serving teen parents, alternative high schools, agencies serving teenaged foster children, shelters serving homeless and runaway youth and other agencies.  For tips on creating a partnership, visit www.ala.org/greatstories.

Following the application process, 265 libraries will be selected to develop a book discussion program for teens based on the three theme-related titles and will be given copies of the books to share with each participant. Participating libraries will also receive access to an online toolkit to support the program, including sample discussion questions, recommended titles for further reading and other resources. Small cash grants ($100-$200) will be awarded to as many as 25 sites for the support of program-related expenses.

For more information on the Great Stories CLUB, including guidelines, book descriptions, application instructions and feedback from past participants, visit www.ala.org/greatstories.

Comments

[Troubled Teen Info]

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[troubled teens]

Good informative article with helpful information for both troubled parents and struggling teenagers, these programs help troubled parents with more parenting information from experienced teens parents and specialized professionals too. These kind of discussion programs need to organized more often to help needy troubled parents to choose better teen parenting options.

[troubled youth]

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[Boot Camp Alaska]

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