The summer cohort of the Huntington Beach Public Library’s “Teens Work” internship program concluded on Tuesday, August 15, with a presentation of each teen intern’s connected learning project for family, friends, and library staff. Funded through a grant provided by the California State Library, the Huntington Beach Public Library provided paid teen internships to high school students from diverse backgrounds, which included job preparedness training, leadership opportunities, and the creation of a connected learning project combining each intern’s interests with opportunities for community growth.

Three teens were hired for the summer cohort and were responsible for designing and leading a wide variety of activities to benefit the Huntington Beach community. Intern Alicia hosted a creative writing workshop series for kids ages 8-12, culminating in an evening celebration for the young writers to read their work aloud to family and friends. Alicia will be attending UC Berkeley as a freshman this fall.

Intern Lizeth hosted a Community Object Museum at the Oak View Branch Library which showcased community members’ keepsakes and narratives about the personal objects on display. Over 100 participants came to view the pop-up museum, which included everything from a quinceañera dress to a report card to a chess set from Peru. Lizeth was recently hired as a part-time Library Page and will be returning to Ocean View High School as a junior this fall.

Intern Katelin partnered with library staff to explore the accessibility of early literacy for children by incorporating her skill with American Sign Language into a special storytime about dinosaurs for preschoolers. Katelin will be returning to Huntington Beach High School as a senior this fall.

Staff at the Huntington Beach Public Library are proud of how these interns have deepened library engagement and sparked new connections within the Huntington Beach community. The final cohort of the HBPL Teens Work Internship Program will begin in September.