Drawing with pastels

Electronic Music

EPYC @ City Council

KAREOKE

Teen Fest

Digital Youth Project

"Kids' Informal Learning with Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures" is a three-year collaborative project funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Carried out by researchers at the University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley, the digital youth project explores how kids use digital media in their everyday lives.

2009 EPYC Meeting

El Paso Youth Council had its first meeting of the New Year on Monday, Jan. 5 at our Richard Burgess Library branch. Mayor John Cook spoke to our teens about himself, his career and the city of El Paso. His presentation was very interesting and our teens had lots of questions for him. Mayor Cook ended his presentation with singing and playing of his guitar. EPYC teens then divided up into groups to discuss an issue they would like to focus on as their Teen Community Service Project, which they will present to the EL Paso City Council in May at the end of their EPYC terms. Project discussions were lively and animated and ended only when the Library informed us it was closing time! EPYC plans to continue their discussion and settle on a teen issue or up to three issues they would like to address, plan and focus on and present to the City Council.

SWAT Officer, Johnny Martinez

This is a video that shows some of the great exposure our EPYC members had to some of the many areas of the El Paso Police Department.

EPYC Meeting

This is the agenda for the El Paso Youth Council. We will meet tomorrow, December 10, 2008, at the El Paso Police Headquarters. This will be a great opportunity to expose out talented teens to the many different levels of law enforcement. Officer Paul Pacillas and Officer Eydie Prado will be assisting that evening.


5:00 PM -5:10 PM: Escort EPYC members to Chief’s Large Conference Room

5:10 PM – 5:15 PM: Welcome. Chief Allen

5:15 PM – 5:25 PM: Recruitment Video/Discussion Officer Paul Hodges, Minnie Holguin

5:25 PM – 5:35 PM: GANG Unit Sgt. Reginald Moton

5:35 PM – 5:45 PM: SWAT Officer, Johnny Martinez

5:45 PM – 5:55 PM: K9 Officer, Jared Lamb

5:55 PM – 6:05 PM: (Bomb Squad, Detective Kenneth Bailey

6:05 PM – 6:10 PM: Combined Search & Rescue, COMSAR, Sgt. Ron Martin

6:10 PM – 6:15 PM: White Collar Crimes, Detective Robert Hanner

6:15 PM – 6:20 PM: Special Traffic Investigations (STI) Officer Jose Talavera, Officer Charles Harmon

6:20 PM – 6:30 PM: Crimes Against Persons,CAP, Detective Erik Messer

6:30 PM – 6:35 PM: Victim Services Response Team, VSRT, Cindy Duran

6:35 PM – 6:40 PM: Crime Prevention, Officer Slade Davis

6:40 PM – 7:15 PM: Escort Group to Crime Lab, Crime Scene Unit/Crime Lab Tour, Officer Robert Cano

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Review by Derek Najera

Imagine, if you will, the angel of death telling you a moving story about some kids and adults in World War II Germany…not mindless Hitler followers but ordinary people amidst the insanity of the dictator’s regime and all the chaos it brings to disrupt their lives. While some claim to be ardent followers of Hitler, many are just weary. Although his job is never done, and he never gets any vacation time, Death is almost sympathetic to the trials of these humans and even observes how he is “constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race.” His attention was caught by the eloquence and beauty of a single girl’s survival which was encapsulated by a book she wrote of her experiences and lost in the bombing raid of her street, of which she emerged as the only survivor.

Liesel Meminger was given to a foster family after her mom surrenders her only living child because her brother had just died and Liesel’s father was taken away by the Gustapo. Liesel quickly adapts to her new surroundings and becomes fond of her foster father who teacher her to read and appreciate the power of words. Soon the family takes in a Jewish refugee to hide in their basement, and Liesel learns that she has a gift for writing. Max, the visitor, leaves behind a gift for her and dubs her the Word Shaker. As Liesel “steals” books to savor and read, and provide comfort to scared neighbors during air raids spend in a shelter, she finds an unexpected ally in the person of the mayor’s wife who, although separated by class, willingly lets her take books from her library once she cuts off the laundering services of Liesel’s stepmother. Although Liesel loses almost everything she treasures in the surprise bombing raid, she reunites with Max and finds a new life just as she was forced to do when her mother left her.

What makes this book most worth reading is everything that takes place in between to show the beauty and brutality of the human spirit. Hearing the story from Death’s perspective also demonstrates a different understanding of the human race according to the most subtle and kind gestures that can overpower the worst atrocities humanity are capable of committing. The book is written in an interesting style that is punctuated by quick, catchy snippets that give you a preview of what is to happen in each section of each chapter. It’s almost like reading a newspaper headline to have an understanding of the story before it’s even read, and I think this drives you to read on. Although the story comes to an end rather hastily, it provides a very satisfying culmination of everything that takes place in the scheme of things that make it both very believable and riveting.

Derek Najera is the current Public Services Librarian of the West Side Branch of the El Paso Public Library.

Teen Town @ El Paso Magazine

Check out an article about Teen Town that appeared at El Paso Magazine here. The following are a few excerpts from the article with commentaries from our PR coordinator, Jack Galindo:

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A recent poll done by library staff revealed that the most likely regulars for the public library are females between the ages of 18 and 50, giving the indication that parents and children are attracted to the libraries. Wide-spread success of children’s programs at the library is a testament to that. So, what about teenagers?

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“Once a child grows past the grade-school level, their visits to the library seem to taper off; therefore, we emphasize teen programs, events and activities to entice those hard to reach kids back to the library,” said Galindo. “It also makes the library seem more ‘cool,’ which is a good thing.”

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With the arrival of Library Director Carol Brey-Casiano in late 2000, a deeper and renewed dedication to reaching out to this segment was brought to the table. A new committee comprised of library staffers was convened with the focus of their discussions centering upon teen programming. The initiative that came from those discussions was appropriately named hangout@elpaso.library.

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Classically, space designated specifically for teens was either void in older library facilities or integrated into facilities when economically feasible. The library took this into consideration when designing the new Main Library in downtown. Upon researching teen spaces in other cities and getting input from local teens, the Main Library was identified as a prime project in which to undertake a modern approach to teen space.

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The result of the collaboration elicited a designated area just for teens where teens can be teens. This is the basic preface and pseudo-manifesto of what is now known as Teen Town. This specialty area in the Main Library houses a variety of amenities that include books, magazines, computers and resources all tailored for teens.

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The look of the Teen Town area is described by Galindo as a, “loft or warehouse redesigned with contemporary color schemes and cool furniture such as bean bags, gaming chairs, restaurant style booths and rolling shelves.” Teens stop in after school and on weekends to do homework, chat up with friends and relax by playing a friendly round of pool, ping pong or even video games like Rock Band or those on the Wii.

ALA 2008 Teen Top Books

The winners for the 2008 favorite books nominated by the American library Association are the following. To check the complete information click here.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Extras by Scott Westerfeld
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

EPYC members at City Council

The highlight of El Paso Youth Council came when our teen members got a first hand experience at City Council.

EPYC at City Hall

El Paso Youth Council will meet at City Hall today November 5, 2008. This will be a great opportunity to meet Joyce A. Wilson, the City Manager and other Department Heads, such as William L. Lilly, from Community and Human Development, and David R. Almonte, from the Office of Management and Budget.

Art Exhibition at Teen Town

You are welcome to come and see the an art exhibition at Teen Town. The art students of Lydia Patterson Institute are showing a selection of portraits. If you have a chance don't miss this great collection of contemporary art from our local teenagers.