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FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA, March 16, 2017 - Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL)
has been selected to receive a competitive grant from the American Library Association (ALA) to host a reading and discussion program for at-risk youth about teen violence and suicide.
As one of 75 Great Stories Club grant recipients selected from across the country, CRRL will work with a group of teens at the Rappahannock Juvenile Center (RJC) to read and discuss three books in which protagonists deal with issues surrounding teen violence, bullying, and suicide.
The grantees represent 55 public libraries, 17 school libraries, one academic/college library and two prison libraries.
The book titles, under the theme "Structures of Suffering: Origins of Teen Violence and Suicide," include:
Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher;
It's Kind of a Funny Story
by Ned Vizzini; and
Romeo and Juliet
(No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels) illustrated by Matt Wiegle. The titles - selected by librarian advisors and humanities scholars - were chosen to resonate with reluctant readers who struggle with complex issues such as incarceration, violence, and poverty.
CRRL will receive 11 copies of each of the three books, which will be gifted to the book club participants. CRRL will also receive training and resources to assist with leading the book group.
Wini Ashooh, CRRL Youth Services Librarian - Teen Specialist and coordinator for the Great Stories Club grant says:
"It is an honor to present these titles to the residents at RJC. Thank you to the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities for the opportunity to promote literacy to these at-risk youth in our community. Additionally, I am grateful for RJC staff whose support and collaboration make the success of this program possible."
Ashooh visits RJC residents twice monthly and has been providing library services there since 2008. In addition to discussing the titles made available by the Great Stories Club grant, Ashooh shares other titles of interest, instructs residents on the use of online library resources, shares and discusses TED Talks with the group, and maintains an up-to-date circulating collection of titles that reflects the current needs and interests of the residents.
The Great Stories Club grant allows Ashooh's work with RJC youth to have even more impact.
As a result of receiving the Great Stories Club grant in 2016, youth at RJC received a visit from Andrew Aydin, the award winning co-author of
March
, a graphic novel trilogy based on the life of civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis.
March: Book Three
won the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at
www.neh.gov.
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