DCPL Summer Youth Employment Program Plan 2009

Expected total number of participants—100

Reading Buddies
In partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), all teens involved
in the Library’s SYEP will be reading buddies to school-age children participating in
DPR’s summer Discovery Camps at the following sites:
• Bald Eagle (near Washington Highlands Library)
• Sherwood (near Northeast Library)
• Kennedy (near Watha T. Daniels Library)
• Hillcrest (near Francis Gregory Library)
• Benning Stoddert (near Benning Library)

Teens will visit the centers 3 times a week to read one-on-one to children for one
hour. This bolsters the effort that DPR is making to increase literacy and reading in
its daily year-round programming; and it broadens DCPL’s outreach to the
community.

Supervision
Through a partnership with the Posse Foundation, seven high-achieving college
students will be summer interns at DCPL. These interns will supervise the teen
employees, traveling with them to the DPR sites, debriefing the Reading Buddies
experiences, leading trainings, and supervising smaller projects at MLK and at the
Neighborhood Libraries. Through a contract with the Posse Foundation, the Library
will provide the interns with a stipend and with several structured opportunities to
meet DCPL management staff and learn about the library science field.

Program structure
• Forty 14-15 year olds will work M-W 9:30-3:30 and Thurs 9:30-11:30 for a total
of 20 hours per week

• Sixty 16-21 year olds will work M-F 9:30-3:30 for a total of 30 hours per week.
(NB: some current Teens of Distinction may opt to work up to 40 hours per week
during the summer)

• Job responsibilities: students will be assigned to a Neighborhood Library or MLK

Library to help with staff-supervised work (collections maintenance, gardening,
signage, etc.); on M-W afternoons students will be at Parks and Recreation sites
as reading buddies to young children in the Discovery Camps; five students will
serve as “administrative floaters” assisting where needed in the 4th floor
administrative offices

• Special projects: on alternate mornings, students will be engaged in special

projects, which will include: creating audio PSA’s for the Library, making and
editing video book trailers, planning for the opening of the MLK Teen Scene,
conducting marketing/outreach in “street teams”, researching and reporting on
issues affecting teens in DC, and creating a Library teen blog

• Trainings: students will be engaged in social/professional skills trainings led by

Posse interns, community providers, and Library staff

Document #9C.3
Board of Library Trustees Meeting
May 27, 2009