Special Project Updates

Updates On Other Groups

• Event Planning - Successfully planned the teen night event scheduled to take place on Friday August 14TH at Riggs LaSalle Community Center in North East from 7pm-midnight. The event has an all white theme, so come decked out in your hottest white outfit. The event planning group is now doing outreach and passing out fliers to promote the event. They are also working on getting performances together so come out, show your support and get ready for a spectacular event, sponsored by the DC Public Library, DC Parks and Recreation, The Metro Politan Police Department, Metro Teen Aids and the American Lung Association.

• Audio Production- The audio production group is now in the final stages of their Puclib Service Announcements (PSAs) for the library. Next class, the group is scheduled to prepare the PSA fpr the teen night and advertisement.

• Journalism- The journalism teens had their interviews with their various contact persons and have almost completed their articles. Articles they have written include; Black potryals in median and HIV in DC. Now that group is wrapping up.

• Video Production- Video Production is the final stages of putting everything in their videos together. Throughout the summer the teens have worked on audio clips, soundtracks, video clips and text, and how they are working until putting it all together.

• Teen Guides- The teens have finished their guides and are editing them.

• Marketing/Outreach- Teens have been working on the marketing/outreach for teen night. They helped design the flyer and promote the event. Teens learned about strategies on how to market a product and how to write a press release and target an audience successfully.

Book Buddies

Book buddies is a program focused on helping younger children (ages 6-11) gain confidence in themselves as readers with the help of DCPL Summer Youth employees. The reading takes place in small group settings creating an atmosphere where books can come alive. The "Big Buddies" meet with their "Little Buddies" twice a week for an hour at many District of Columbia Parks and Recreation Centers.


Through the Book Buddies program younger readers are socially stimulated and captivated by the many joys of reading. Some of the books that both "Little Buddies" and "Big Buddies" are raving about include
Queen of The Scene by Queen Latifah, Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day by Robert Pulver and Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron.
Overall the DPCL Book Buddies program is a fantastic way to for children to discover and share the love of reading.



For more information on helping a child you know unveil mysteries, adventures and much more through literature visit the DCPL website.

http://www.dclibrary.org/dcpl/site/default.asp

BEAT YA FEET KINGS

BEAT YA FEET KINGS

Washington Highlands

July 2009

In the year of 2002 there was a time where almost every child in the District of Columbia where hip to a dance called "Beet Ya Feet". It was a dance that took over every street, gang memeber, and even hood. It was also around the time a popular DC genre known as Go-Go was blasting through every 12 year olds stereo set. Go-Go has been around since the inspirational Chuck Brown. Then he encouraged older Go-Go bands such as Rare Essense, and Backyard Band to play and host Go-Go's around the city of DC. Although Go-Go only enhanced and got better, "Beat Ya Feet" only got older, and died out like a typical fashion statement. Just when we thought "Beat Ya Feet " had been lost a group of guys gathered together to bring back what DC had once buried. The Beat Ya Feet Kings traveled through out not only DC , but other parts of the states to help people realize that if you have a confortation or a problem with someone dont resolve it in fights or in shoot outs, but in battle. They teach you how to express youself through dance. You can use your moves and foot work to speak your words, and avoid the violence. When they made their appearance in Washington Highlands they opened the hearts, eyes, and since of humor not only to our new youth of today, but every generation that dwelt upon the Library.

Children Divsion Spotlight

I recently did a mini interview with an employee that works in the Children's Division at Martin Luther King library. I asked her questions about some programs they have and some activities that take place in her division. Kids have a wild imagination so they let them express their creativity by engaging them in crafts and plays. They also have contests. One contest that is taking place this summer is The Summer Reading Program that lets kids from ages 13 and under read three books this summer to receive a special gift. From what I was told, thousands of kids participate every summer. They also have camps, daycares, story time, and cool parties. The theme this summer is be creative.

A Creative Writing Workshop

Last Tuesday, July 21st DCPL SYEP Supervisors Hosted a Creative Writing session for the summer youth employees. Teens ages 16-21 who work within the DC Public Library workshopped and wrote poems on the subjects of hip hop, love etc. The theme for this summers reading program within the DC Public libraries is "Express Yourself" and vulgar, heartfelt, sad, joyous, beautiful, political and expressive the participants were. Here are a few of the poems submitted during the workshop. No one poem is better than any other, but we only have space for a few, so here goes! For the confidentiality of the writers I will not post their names.

Struggle to the Top
By. E.
A struggling man
fights his way to the top
he faces blind turns
and rough edges along the way
not turning back
for a single second
he keeps going
following his hearts path
not paying any attention
to all of the obstacles
being thrown in his way
he goes around them
any other way he can
to avoid the walls
after numerous years
of fighting and climbing
he does it
he reaches the summit
he is accepted as a black man
and it took a lifetime

Untitled
By Another E.

Definetly not a poet
I dunno Ive always thought
writing is something to do
only when you have something to say, like talking
i used to hear alot of
amateur writing about love
like...
" I am a flower and you are my sun... i wilt without you"
eventually its not even cute
or funny anymore
when she was writing the third suggestion, on the board
i thought she was writing "death"
it just seemed like the natural thing
hip-hop then love then death
i like Elijahs handwriting
is this a free write then?
this is the cheeriest ive ever seen Cam
ive lost any flow i had
i kinda like assignments like this
they remind me of stuff
i knew about my self before
but forgot


The Heart of a Nation
By L.B.
Music pulsates
cars speed
people walk...

the heart beats

school bells ring
diplomats congregate
elevators carry people &

the heart beats

the center of the universe, in a world all its own. yet the center of a world that sees the everyday actions

the heart continues to beat

each avenue brings a life different from the one before each street breathes a newness that cant be found anywhere

but in the heart of a nation

inside the skyscrapers
inside of the departments and heads of state
inside the landmarks and monuments

beats the heart of a nation