2011-2012 Highlights from a Year of TAG…

A year of building community partnerships and expanding teen services

2011 August Adom’s tenure as

TAG President begins, with Cedric as Vice President.

The first Shout it Out is held on the Crossroads Festival’s Library Plaza Stage. 120 people come to see Ypsi teens perform in the collaborative event featuring teens from the library, Ozone House’s Project Speak Out Team, Community Records and 826michigan. Poetry, music and short stories are presented!

September Resident artist

Terrence Thompson leads TAG members in the creation of giant magnetic manga characters for the soon to open Teen Zone, in his first collaboration with library teens, soon followed by a spring Cast-a-Collectible workshop.

October The new Teen Zone

officially opens with cake and root beer floats! Past and current TAG presidents Walter and Adom cut the ribbon to officially open the space, which includes an xbox and 10 new computers, increasing the number of teens using the library daily.

Teen Read Week is celebrated with a photo scavenger hunt through downtown led by Ed from the Ypsilanti Historical Society. Adom and Cedric find the most hidden architectural features!

November 826michigan/YDL-Mich Ave playwrights take a fieldtrip to the University of Michigan’s Rackham Center to see their play Zombie on the Couch performed live and to be interviewed about their writing process by author Dave Eggers!

December Adom publishes

the second installment of the online magazine Teen Voices, featuring collaborative efforts with Terrence and 826michigan, as well as more teen poetry.

2012 January Year of the Dragon!

Chinese New Year is celebrated with teens from Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan presenting stories, music and a lion dance. In February, the library holds a workshop on the history of Chinese writing, focusing on the character for dragon!

February The Corner

Health Center teaches improv at the first in a series of successful collaborative programs, including the AIDS awareness play and Relationship Rap!

March EMU Professor Matt

Evans teaches basic video game programming on the YDL laptops during Teen Tech Week.

Murder at the Library: Adom hosts a murder mystery set during the Salem Witch Trials. Everyone has a part to read, but Walter turns out to be the only criminal!

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Concentrate Media publishes the first of two articles about 826michigan at the library.

Walter W.’s mom teaches a cut a t-shirt to an enthusiastic group of young women, prompting more female friendly craft programs for the summer!

Toko and Erik of local band October Babies teach the Japanese class a song for Toko’s Dragon Project, the first of several visits they make to the library to share their skills. Student artwork becomes part of her WCC exhibit.

April Japanese students

collaborate with the University of Michigan’s Center for Japanese Studies to host a Japanese Cultural Day with official tea ceremony, origami folding, and a play written by YDL students!

A booklet of YDL-Mich Ave teen poetry is assembled and distributed at the Billy Collins reading at WCC, opened by Community Records and Ozone House, and including TAG poet Brandy!

May Quincy designs a new

TAG t-shirt and everyone screens his/her own shirt with the help of Chariline and her husband.

Several TAG members perform in the Community Records Jam n Slam!

TAG members represent YDL at the first Block Party Planning meeting at The Corner, to plan the September 2012 event with representatives from Ozone, B-Side, Community Records and The Corner.

June C. Jacqueline Woods

from the Ann Arbor Film Festival screens animated short art films and teaches how to create hand drawn animation.

Teen Summer Reading becomes a game, with weekly prize drawings for items donated by many Ypsi businesses!

Art Zone begins, allowing teens to casually gather, talk and create every Monday afternoon during the summer, offering an alternative to gaming to appeal to a wider group of library users.

Sarah Messer of One Pause Poetry begins her series of poetry workshops!

July jc potts from gives the

first presentation on body art by local artists from Depot Town Tattoo on body piercing safety.

Reading, writing, speaking, sings, learning, cooking, gaming, art, crafts, film, anime, world cultures, leadership, responsibility, respect, community building, fun, friends…

Ypsilanti District Library-Michigan Avenue Teen Advisory Group Following the mission of the Ypsilanti District Library…

enriching life, stimulating intellectual curiosity, fostering literacy, and encouraging an informed citizenry!