The Indiana Free Library staff members Lacey Fetcko and Jacque Benhart, applied for and were later selected, to participate in PA Humanities’ Youth-led Humanities program.
The Teen Reading Lounge, a place where our diverse, junior and senior high school students will have even more opportunities to gather and learn from each other. We are a nonprofit, public library here to serve our community and are focused on using the arts, humanities, and literature to enhance our youthful patron’s experience. The IFL is proud to announce that it is among the 22 distinguished recipients of Youth-Led Humanities funding across the state of Pennsylvania. These sites, representing both rural and urban communities, have demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering youth leadership and engagement through the humanities.
“Young people have valuable insights and creative ideas that can profoundly impact their communities for the better,” said Julia Katz, Education Programs Manager at PA Humanities. “By centering youth voice through the humanities, we’re not only empowering young people but also enriching the cultural and civic life of Pennsylvania.”
As Youth-Led Humanities Cohort members, our teen advisory board is being established now and is set to receive $5,000, to support projects and activities that reflect the interests and needs of young people. Participants will also gain access to professional development opportunities, including individualized coaching, community of practice meetings, and workshops led by library leaders and humanities professionals.
"I am honored to be included in this cohort at the IFL and am so excited to bring special programming to the library, and some away from our building as well. I hope to work closely with local English teachers and enhance literature in the classroom with theater, movies, panel discussions and learning outside the classroom. I am also planning to create a soft place to land in our library for teens and make all feel welcomed with seating and signage. I hope to announce how the arts have enhanced our garden, our building, and new used bookstore with an open house for the public. I hope to leave a permanent art installation where teens can share what they have learned about the humanities. I hope to invite an author, and her book in teens hands for a special afternoon/evening presentation to learn about our world through her eyes, and see what teens would do in similar situations. I hope to allow teens from the Community Care Club to teach senior citizens technology lessons after recognizing our similarities instead of only differences. I hope to encourage teens to stand up and share poetry, or song lyrics to change their world and be heard.", said Jacque Benhart, Young Adult Services Librarian of the new Teen Reading Lounge.
Youth-Led Humanities is made possible by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries with additional support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, individual donors and other funders.
For more information about the Teen Reading Lounge and its upcoming projects, please visit www.indianafreelibrary.org and find the monthly calendar marked with the PA Humanities logo. Please also watch out for our socials including Facebook and Instagram which will post all activities, times and dates.
