Children and Youth Action Committee -

Request for Funds for Toronto Public Library Initiative

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the recommendations of the Children and Youth Action Committee embodied in the communication dated November 5, 1998, from the City Clerk.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports, for the information of Council, having requested the City Librarian to report to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee on the number of street youth that take advantage of the "Reaching Out With Young Voices" program.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee submits the following communication (November 5, 1998) from the City Clerk:

Recommendations:

The Children and Youth Action Committee recommended to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee that:

(1)funds in the amount of $4,000.00 be authorized to cover the cost of printing 20,000 copies of a poster to encourage parents to read to their children; and

(2)funds in the amount of $3,000.00 be authorized for the project "Reaching Out With Young Voices" to encourage street youth to write their stories for publication in a booklet to be published in 1999.

The Committee advises that funds for this purpose are available in the Children and Youth Action Committee's Budget, Account Code CD200-G39951.

Background:

On October 26, 1998, Mr. Ken Setterington, Toronto Public Library, provided a verbal report on the following two initiatives of the Toronto Public Library:

-a poster campaign to encourage parents to read to their children; and

-a project, titled "Reaching Out with Young Voices", to encourage street youth to write their stories for publication in a booklet to be published in 1999.

The initiatives are outlined in the communications (October 9 and October 23, 1998) from Mr.KenSetterington, Co-ordinator, Children and Youth Adult Services, East Region, Toronto Public Library.

The Committee's recommendations are noted above.

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(Communication dated October 25, 1998, from Mr. Ken Setterington,

Co-ordinator, Children and Young Adult Services,

East Region, Toronto Public Library, addressed to

Councillor Olivia Chow, Toronto Child and Youth Advocate)

I am writing to you as the Toronto Child and Youth Advocate with a poster campaign that the Toronto Public Library would like to embark on this year. The focus of the campaign is to encourage parents to read to their children. Well-known children's illustrator, Rosemary Wells, has given permission to use her artwork for this campaign. A sample copy of the poster is attached.

The campaign would cost $4,000.00 to print 20,000 full colour posters. The wordmark for the Toronto Public Library as well as the names of members of the Children and Youth Action Committee will be displayed at the bottom of the poster. The posters would be distributed through the Boards of Education, Day Care Centres, Libraries and Recreation Centres.

Thank you for considering this request.

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(Communication dated October 9, 1998, from Mr. Ken Setterington,

Coordinator, Children and Young Adult Services,

East Region, Toronto Public Library, addressed to

Councillor Olivia Chow, Toronto Child and Youth Advocate)

I am writing to you as the Toronto Child and Youth Advocate with a project that the Toronto Public Library would like to embark on this year. The project, "Reaching Out with Young Voices" will encourage street youth to write their stories for publication in a booklet to be published in 1999. The project will provide two young people the opportunity to work, gain valuable experience and also let youth on the streets and in shelters know that their stories are important.

The project requires $3,000.00 in funding from the Children and Youth Action Committee. A proposal with more details is attached. Please call me if you have any questions regarding this project.

Thank you for considering this request.

Reaching Out with Young Voices

Background:

"Young Voices" has been an annual publication of the North York Public Library. Stories and poems are submitted by teens for publication in a booklet produced in the spring. The 1999 publication will be the first amalgamated issue which will include submissions from teens living across the City. In order to reach out to teens living on the streets and in shelters in the City of Toronto an outreach program has been developed to get street youth interested in writing their stories for inclusion in the 1999 "Young Voices". The stories submitted by the street youth will also be produced in a book tentatively titled "Young Voices from the Street".

Proposal:

That funding be sought from the Children and Youth Action Committee to reach out to street youth; encourage them to visit the library, to participate in a writing workshop, to meet a well respected author for teens, to write their stories and see their stories published in "Young Voices from the Street and Young Voices".

Program:

A three-week program presented by the Toronto Public Library and the Children and Youth Action Committee will provide employment for two teens to promote the street youth writing program in teen shelters and to youth on the street during the end of November and the beginning of December.

The Toronto Public Library will host a writing workshop in a downtown location (Lillian H. Smith) for youth and encourage them to use the Community Learning and Information Centre to write their stories. A further workshop with author Diana Weiler (Governor General award winning author of popular teen fiction) will be held at the Toronto Reference Library on December 10th, which will be open to the general public.

Partnerships:

The teen programs currently operating in the City will be approached to provide assistance in promoting this program.

Outcomes:

-The two youth hired for the program will gain valuable work experience.

-The street youth will know that their stories are valued and further that they are valued.

-The street youth will know that the public library is their public library.

-The publication, "Young Voices from the Street" will be available in each library branch for borrowing.

"Young Voices" published in the spring of 1999 will include some of the entries from "Young Voices from the Street" so that a wider audience is made aware of the stories from youth on the street.

Budget:

The Toronto Public Library will cover the costs of administering the program. Additional funds will be sought from the Children and Youth Action Committee to cover the following costs:

Two youths to visit shelters and locations with street youth$1,600.00

to encourage them to participate in the program.

$800.00 each for three weeks (hours to be determined)

Writing Workshops, including refreshments and honorarium $400.00

for Canadian teen author.

Publication of 1,000 copies of "Young Voices from the Street"$1,000.00

Total:$3,000.00