“To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras be a crossroads.”
--Gloria Anzaldúa
Teentober is a month dedicated to celebrating the hopes and dreams of Denver teens with teen focused programming. We celebrate the curiosity, passion, and inventiveness unique to teens through programs that build community, provide resources, and offer opportunities to create. During the teen years, we recognize that many young people are simply looking for a place to connect and to build support systems that will help them navigate these formative years. The Young Adult Librarians Association states that,
“Teentober is a nationwide celebration hosted by libraries every October and aims to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library. TeenTober™ replaces YALSA’s previous Teen Read Week™ and Teen Tech Week™.”
We, at Denver Public Library, recognize that though there are many stressors involved in navigating the teenage years, the library can be what we often refer to as a “third space”, neither school, nor home. And so, we have chosen to highlight the library during the month of October as a place where teens are welcome to be themselves and will find adults looking to support them.
This year, Teentober will be recognized with activities like: Book Bingo where teens can fill out a card to win prizes, maker activities where teens can craft and create, and Teen Advisory Board kickoff parties where teens can come together to forge lasting friendships while giving feedback to the library about the types of programs, services, and activities relevant to their lives. This year, there will also be a special author event for teens only at Manual High School and another for all community members at Blair-Caldwell featuring local author Evette Dionne, students from the DPS (Denver Public Schools) Black Student Alliance and Colorado Public Radio to discuss her book Lifting As We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box.
Additionally, the community partnerships the library cultivates year round offer services to help teens as they transition from the tween years (9-13) throughout their teen years (13-19). These include: Office of Financial Empowerment and Protection, Partners in Literacy, Youth on Record, Museum of Contemporary Art, Office of the Clerk and Recorder, Denver Youth Employment Program, Mile Hi Con, Colorado Teen Lit Conference, Sun Valley Kitchen and more.
Visit denverlibrary.org/events to learn more about all there is to experience for teens in the Denver Public Library during the month of October and don’t forget to stop by our new Teen Library at Central! More information about the grand opening celebration will be forthcoming…