Did you know that every San José Public Library location offers teens ages 13-18 an opportunity to get involved with their local library and make a difference in their community? teensReach is SJPL's youth council, and it's a great way for teens to learn leadership skills, serve as advisors for the library, and help others by assisting at library programs and local community events, not to mention an excellent way for teens to earn community service hours!  We offer teensReach chapters at all of our libraries, and groups typically meet once a month. Click here for meeting times, and fill out the form if you'd like us to contact you with more information about joining. 

Our teensReach volunteers have contributed to many great projects and events throughout the city, including craft programs, puppet shows, haunted houses, homework help for students, leadership summits, book-buying parties, helping out at community events like the Children's Faire, judging teen events like the Teen Talent Show and Battle of the Bands, etc. One of my favorite recent projects is our annual LuvYrLibrary video contest. It's a fun and friendly competition between teensReach chapters to see who can put together the best web video about why they love the library. Last year West Valley teensReach won the coveted pizza party, but this year the Cambrian teens rose up to claim the title for our 2nd annual contest. Check out the video to see what happens when the teens wind up in a world without libraries, and enjoy the interviews at the end with real Cambrian customers sharing why they love the library.