Blogs: Teens

Talking to Kids about Pride Month

rainbow pride flag
The beautiful thing about young people is that they react to the world around them through wonder, imagination, and questions...lots and lots of questions. In June, some of these questions may have something to do with Pride Month and what it means to be LGBTQ+.**

  • “What’s with all the rainbows?”
  • “Why is it called ‘Pride Month?’”  
  • “What do all those letters stand for?” **

Some of us are more familiar with Pride - and more comfortable talking about it - than others, so we put together some helpful tips for having those conversations during June and beyond.  

Read Up 

Dive into the historical significance of the Pride Movement and Stonewall Rebellion in June 1969, and learn about the significance of the Pride flag. For a kid-friendly history to read and talk about together, check out Stonewall: a Building, a History by Rob Sanders, with illustrations by Jamey Christoph. Check out recommended fiction featuring LGBTQ+ characters, or memoirs written by LGBTQ+ writers. Curious about how to use they/them pronouns? There’s a graphic novel guide for you! Browse the reading lists below for more titles that may interest your family.    

Listen to (and Learn from) Queer Voices

There are also excellent resources online to help parents and caregivers explore Pride and LGBTQ+ identity openly and honestly with kids. Our favorite is the Queer Kids Stuff Youtube series from LGBTQ+ activist Lindsay Amer, the self-described “Queer Mr. Rogers.” We love how this series (with four seasons of episodes!) explores topics like gender identity and how to be a good ally.  

Celebrate! 

Portland Pride Parade is happening virtually this year on Sunday, June 20 at 11 am. 

Drag Queen Storytime with Poison Waters on Thursday, June 24 at 12 pm. Join us for this special storytime featuring the fabulous Poison Waters reading stories about inclusion and diversity. Register via the link above to join via Zoom.  

Support LGBTQ+ Youth

Youth who identify as LGBTQ+ benefit from a supportive network of family, friends, and peers. Check out our recent article We <3 LGBTQ+ Kids and Teens! for some organizations and resources that can help provide that support.

This article is part of our “Talking with kids” series, as featured in our monthly newsletter. Reach out to us at learning@multcolib.org if you need more support or have questions. We’re here for you!


**LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning. The + is meant to include all gender identities and sexual orientations not covered by the other letters. Read What Does LGBTQ+ Mean? for more information.

Home Learning Support | Mon, Jun 07, 2021
learn & create, local interest, read, listen, watch, adults, birth to 3, educators, families, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, kids, parents, preschool, 50+, teens, mcl blogs, biography/memoir, comics/graphic novels, lgbt, literary, nonfiction

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Our Favorite Graphic Memoirs for Teens

We’ve been reading a lot of memoirs around here lately.  There’s something magical about them, in how intimate and revealing they can be.  Writers of memoirs don’t always include the whole story, but there is an underlying assumption of honesty.  When we read memoirs, we can trust we're getting to know someone, and maybe even ourselves, a little bit better.    

The word “memoir” comes from the French word mémoire, which means “memory.”  It’s just you and the author’s voice, sharing impressions of their memories.  Suddenly, you’re in their world, going deeper with every page you turn.  Reading a memoir offers a unique opportunity to really connect with someone without having to talk to them.  Or, in the case of public figures, it offers an opportunity to learn more about someone you admire, but may never meet.  

Some of our favorite memoirs lately have been graphic memoirs, or autobiographical comics, combining words and visuals to reveal memories.  We enjoy finding diversity in experiences and perspectives in our favorite graphic memoirs.  Whether we’re reading about someone battling an eating disorder, or someone growing up in South Korea in the 1980s, we love getting to know fascinating people through these beautifully drawn and written graphic memoirs!

This article was written for our Family Newsletter, brought to you by Home Learning Support and available in English and Spanish. Please sign up here and you can email us at learning@multcolib.org with any questions.

Looking for more tips on what to read next?  Check out our My Librarian readers advisory service and contact us for more ideas!

Home Learning Support | Tue, Apr 06, 2021
learn & create, read, listen, watch, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, teens, mcl blogs, biography/memoir, comics/graphic novels, lgbt, nonfiction

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Free online tutoring resources

If you are looking for help with schooling, here are some free tutoring resources to consider.

Virtual K-12 Tutoring / Tutoría Virtual

Tuesdays, 4,6 pm throughout the year
Who is eligible : K-12 students who need support in language arts, math, science, and/or social studies.
Registration required : yes, spots are limited
Who are the tutors : Multnomah County Library volunteers
Which languages is tutoring available in : English and Spanish

Tutor.com

Who is eligible :  K-college students
Registration required : yes for some features, no for live help
Who are the tutors :  college and graduate students, teachers, working professionals
Which languages is tutoring available in : English, Spanish, Vietnamese

Other Tutor.com information : 
available with a library card
live tutoring 2-10 pm daily
essay help
worksheets
suggested websites
learning videos

Learn to Be

Who is eligible : K-12 students with a focus on underserved students
Registration required : yes
Who are the tutors : high school and college students, adults
Which languages is tutoring available in : English

Interns for Good

Who is eligible : K-8 students
Registration required : yes
Who are the tutors : high school students
Which languages is tutoring available in : English

ConnectOregonStudents

Who is eligible : K-12 students in Oregon, Southwest Washington, and Northern California
Registration required : yes
Who are the tutors : Oregon high school students 
Which languages is tutoring available in : English (but includes language learning tutoring for other languages)
Other : they also offer peer support

Teens Tutor Teens

Who is eligible : Teens 13-18
Registration required : yes
Who are the tutors : high school students
Which languages is tutoring available in : English
 
Other Teens Tutor Teens information :
group tutoring
test prep tutoring
on-demand videos
worksheets
essay editing
 

If you are looking for extra academic support instead of live tutoring, consider these free resources:

Learning Resource Express Library has academic support resources for upper elementary school through high school. Available with your Multnomah County Library card.

Khan Academy has free video-based lessons and practice for K-12 students.

HippoCampus.org is a free web site that delivers content on general education subjects to middle-school and high-school students.

Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government is a service of the Government Publishing Office (GPO), and designed to inform studentsvabout the Federal Government.

Typing.com is a free resource to help students build their typing skills. Available in English and Spanish.

Mathlearningcenter.org is a nonprofit organization serving the education community and include activities for students K-5 in math. Available in English and Spanish.

Home Learning Support | Wed, Mar 24, 2021
learn & create, families, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, parents, teens, mcl blogs

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Take Learning Outside

Two women and a young girl blow bubbles outside in a field

“I routinely prescribe nature to children and families.  Nature has the power to heal."  

-Dr. Nooshin Razani, pediatrician, presenter of the TED Talk "Presribing Nature for Health"

Research suggests that taking a walk, visiting a park, or getting out in nature can relieve stress, encourage social bonds, and support physical activity.  Less stress means less depression, anxiety, and isolation...not just for kids, but for adults, too!  

Portland Parks and Recreation offers plenty of opportunities for adventure!  Search for your next destination through the Find a Park feature, and be sure to check out their list of Inclusive Playgrounds, which is growing!  Gresham also offers an array of parks and trails to explore. Troutdale, with its proximity to the Sandy and Columbia rivers, offers plenty of fun options as well, and Fairview is home to many others, including our favorite, Salish Pond Wetlands Park.

Wait, there’s more! Metro Parks and Natural Areas offer 17,000 acres of outdoor exploration!  Try out the Interactive Park Finder, and while you’re there, check out their Parks and Nature News section for the latest on the ways our community enjoys nature.  

We love keeping up with Metro’s Our Big Backyard magazine and exploring back issues for beautiful photographs. The latest (Fall 2020) issue features two articles written by members of our community.  

While you're outside, you can take advantage of the learning opportunities it offers.  Portland Parks has created an at-home nature activities page, with links to videos and other activities that tap into kids’ sense of curiosity.  You can find a Flower Scavenger Hunt, a Birds of Portland guide, and a map of Tree Museums that are open for viewing right in your neighborhood.  

There’s so much to see and do out there, so take Dr. Razani’s prescription and get outside!   Even just a little bit can do wonders for your health - mental, physical, emotional, and overall!


This article was written for our Family Newsletter, brought to you by Home Learning Support and available in English and Spanish. Please sign up here and you can email us at learning@multcolib.org with any questions.

Home Learning Support | Thu, Mar 11, 2021
learn & create, local interest, read, listen, watch, birth to 3, educators, families, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, kids, parents, preschool, teens, mcl blogs, nonfiction, northwest

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2021 Teen Summer Reading Art Contest

Are you an artist in grades 6–12?   

Do you know an artist in grades 6-12?

Enter a design for the 2021 Multnomah County Library Teen Summer Reading Art Contest!

The theme this year is “Reading Colors Your World.” A panel of library staff and artists will select a winner from the entries.

● The winning design will appear on the cover of all teen gameboards. The winning artist will be awarded a $100 gift card to an art supply store.

● More entries will be selected to produce a “Reading Colors Your World” coloring book that will be given to Summer Reading participants.  Kids all over the county will be coloring your designs!

● The library will share the winner and all selected designs on social media. 

● Here are the favorite designs from 2020's contest, by Naima (left) and Willa (right):

black and white design showing a girl reading, and magically coming from the book there is a witch, princess, dragon, and objects like a sword, apple, ring, and cauldron
black and white design showing an open book, with dragons, snakes, and a turtle magically coming out of the pages

 

 

 

 

 

ART SPECIFICATIONS

 

The box on the flyer is proportional to the final maximum measurement, and you may use it to submit your artwork. You don’t have to use the entire box, but your artwork must fit inside of it. Final artwork will be printed at a maximum of 6” x 4” (measurements may change if art is scaled down).

1. Original artwork only

2. Content should be appropriate for youth all ages

3. Black & white image only

4. If hand drawn, use black ink, marker, pen or hard pencil

5. If digitally drawn, submit as black & white EPS or high resolution (300 dpi) PNG, JPG or TIF

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Please include your name, grade, school (if applicable) and a phone number or email address so we can reach you if you win.

Winners will be selected based on the following criteria:

● Follow art specifications above.

● Show innovative interpretation of the theme, “Reading Colors Your World”. Be creative, try new things, find beauty in diversity.

● Show graphic design/artistic merit.

Entries must be received by Friday, March 5.  Submit your artwork electronically to summerreading@multcolib.org, bring it to your local library, or send a paper version to:

Summer Reading | Multnomah County Library | Isom Building | 205 NE Russell Street Portland, OR 97212

Summer Reading is made possible by gifts to The Library Foundation

Jeanie D. | Mon, Feb 01, 2021
learn & create, local interest, educators, families, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, parents, teens, english, mcl blogs

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Digital Magazines Moving to OverDrive & Libby Starting January 2021

Starting January 1, new digital magazines will be available through OverDrive & the Libby app. Here's what you need to know about this change:

Should I keep the RBdigital app installed on my phone?
No. There will be no new issues added after December 31, 2020.

Can I still read the magazine issues I borrowed from RBdigital?
Yes. To read your borrowed magazine loans, visit zinio.com, or download the free ZINIO app. From the ZINIO app or website, register for a new ZINIO account. You will need to use the same email address you used to access RBdigital. Once you've registered, your RBdigital magazine loans will be available in your account.

Will OverDrive have a magazine reader like the one available on RBdigital?
The Libby app will offer an article and thumbnail view for magazine titles starting in January. The article view will not be available on the OverDrive app and website.

Will there be a checkout period for magazines?
Yes. Magazines will now checkout for 21 days.

Can I renew magazines?
Yes. You will have the option to renew a magazine within 3 days of the end of the lending period. Or you could borrow it again with no waiting. 

Will magazines count against my OverDrive checkout limit?
No. Magazines will not count toward checkout limits.

Will there be an option to automatically borrow new issues of a magazine?
No. OverDrive does not currently have plans to support auto-checkout of magazine titles, but their developers are considering a notification system for when new issues are added.

Kady F. | Tue, Dec 29, 2020
read, listen, watch, adults, 50+, teens, mcl blogs

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Mental Health and Self-Care for Teens

This is a challenging time, whether it is being physically distanced from our friends and peers, lack of routine, not getting to do our regular activities, or being home with others that don’t understand us. This can be a challenge to our mental health and well being. We have gathered some resources aimed at teens for coping and that help foster mental health.

If you need to talk to someone, the Oregon Youth Line is in service, and is staffed by teens. You can call (877-968-8491), text “teen2teen” to 839863, or use their chat option. This is a great service if you just need to talk to someone outside your home, and/or if you are in crisis.

Available through the library, Teen Health and Wellness is inviting teens to share their stories to help connect with other teens about similar fears and concerns. Also on the site are resources for mind, mood and emotions and more.

Be sure to be taking breaks for self-care. Here are some suggestions:

If you have 2 minutes:

  • Take a few deep breaths or stretch
  • Doodle, daydream, or look at a photo of a loved one
  • Let someone know that you may need some time to talk later
  • Enjoy a peppermint stick of gum
  • Think of three things that you are grateful for
  • Acknowledge an accomplishment
  • Massage your forehead or hands

If  you have 5 minutes:

  • Listen to music and sing out loud
  • Jot down your dreams or goals
  • Run in place, do some jumping jacks, or walk up and down the stairs
  • Have a cleansing cry
  • Note a strength or quality you value in someone else and tell them
  • Send an email or text that had been nagging you
  • Play with your pet
  • Clean a portion of your bedroom
  • Enjoy a snack and/or cozy beverage

If you have 10 minutes:

  • Write in your journal
  • Call a friend you haven’t had a chance to talk to or see in a while
  • Take some quiet time to reflect on what you need from others in your life and how you can ask for help
  • Surf the web for inspiring quotes
  • Take a brisk walk or dance to music you enjoy
  • Find some things to add to your room or desk that will make you smile - photos, inspiring or funny quotes, or a souvenir from a meaningful event
  • Find a quiet place to meditate

If you have 30 minutes:

  • Find a writing prompt online, or pick a book at random, write the first line, and write your own story from there
  • Play a game with someone online or in your house
  • Cook, bake, or craft
  • Exercise or do yoga
  • Take a hot bath
  • Finish a project you started, but never got back to
Library Staff | Mon, Mar 30, 2020
grades 6-8, grades 9-12, teens, mcl blogs

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Searching for Scholarships

Find Out What's Available

Trinity college
It's never too early to start looking for scholarships. The best time of year to start looking is in the summer or early fall. This lets you find programs before their deadlines have passed, and gives you enough time to complete a well-planned application. Many scholarship programs require an essay and recommendations from teachers or other adults who know you, and these take time to prepare.  

There are many scholarships, grants, fellowships, internships and work-study jobs available. You'll likely encounter some common eligibility criteria. These include which state you live in, if you've performed military service, whether you have minority status or a particular nationality or ethnic background, a religious affiliation, or if any of your family members belong to a national or local organization or civic association. If you fit the eligibility criteria, be sure to consider applying! 

Researching

The library is a great place to get started as you research scholarships. Whether you are looking for a scholarship in the humanities, the sciences, the social sciences, or sports, we can help you discover ways to find scholarship awards for higher education. 

Scholarship Handbook
The Scholarship Handbook is organized by common eligibility criteria. It lists scholarships based on which state you live in, whether you have performed military service, if you have minority status or come from a particular nationality or ethnic background, if you have a religious affliation, and whether any of your family members belong to a national or local organization or civic association. Each scholarship program is described by eligibility, basis for selection, application requirements, amount awarded, application deadline, and contact information.

 

"Billions of dollars in scholarships, grants and prizes." The Ultimate Scholarship Book organizes awards into categories such as humanities, social science, science and general. You don't need a perfect GPA or financial need to win a scholarship. There are plenty of awards that have none of these requirements.

 

 

College help for teens: More resources for financial aid, admissions, guides, and Study Abroad.

Nancy | Thu, Dec 12, 2019
grades 9-12, parents, teens, english, mcl blogs

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Multnomah County Library buys zines!

Do you have a zine you want to share with the world? The library is a great place to do that! We have a zine collection available for checkout at five of our locations: Albina, Belmont, Central, Hollywood and North Portland. The focus of the collection is to provide a showcase for local authors that produce zines on popular topics of interest to our community.

You can submit a sample of your zine by dropping it off or mailing it. (Please include your name and contact info.)

Multnomah County Library 
Attn: Lori Moore
1038 SE Cesar E Chavez Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214

Or

Drop off a sample: at any Multnomah County Library location marked: Attn: Karen Eichler

Contact us for more information.

Lori M. | Tue, May 15, 2018
learn & create, read, listen, watch, adults, teens, mcl blogs

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Happy birthday to Irie

Irie Page is about to turn 14. Instead of, say, a birthday sleepover, she has planned a gift for her community, a free event featuring Mike Domitrz, the founder of the Date Safe Project and a consent educator for kids, teens and adults.  The funny, interactive presentation that he gives to teens and adults is called "Can I Kiss You?", which is also the title of his book. It focuses on how to have healthy, safe relationships and how to both avoid sexual assault and avoid sexually assaulting someone else. Her family raised money online to pay Domitrz's speaking fee, and after the story was covered on the local news, they got all the funding they needed. The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 9th in the Lincoln Recital Hall at Portland State University. PSU has waived the rental fees in support of Irie’s event.


I first met this remarkable young woman at the reference desk at my library when she was just a little kid signing up for our Read to the Dogs program. We book lovers who work at the library always notice the passionate readers, the ones who leave with huge stacks of books they’re obviously eager to dive into, and that was Irie. When she was old enough, I suggested that she volunteer for our Summer Reading program, giving out prizes to kids for reading, and she brought huge enthusiasm to this as well. When she told me last summer about the event she was planning, we decided to put together a book display. Irie chose all the books herself. If you can’t get in to see the display, here’s the list.

“After I saw Malala speak, I was inspired to do something for my community,” Irie told me. She originally wanted actress and feminist Emma Watson. "That's not going to happen," her mom told her, and then suggested Domitrz. When Irie happened upon a book here at the library about philanthropy parties, her idea took off.

“I’ve always seen things in the world and thought, ‘That’s messed up. I want to change that,” said Irie. Like Malala, the Pakistani advocate for girls’ rights to education, she decided she could make a difference. She chose to start here, in her own city. 

***EDITED to update Irie's story. This event was a huge success. There was so much community interest that Portland State University gave them a bigger theater in which to hold it, and it was still standing room only, with more than 500 in attendance. I took my middle school-age son and we both found it interesting and inspiring. I was delighted last week when I ran into Irie in the library and she told me she's one of two state honorees for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. This is a very big deal! She's won $1000, a silver medallion, and a trip to Washington, D.C. At a ceremony in D.C., five national honorees will be chosen from among the state award winners. The staff at my library, who has known Irie for so long, is rooting for her to win the national award, which comes with even more honors and with cash awards for her and for the charity of her choice. We're so proud of her.

 
Diana A. | Fri, Feb 09, 2018
local interest, teens, parents, mcl blogs, nonfiction

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