Chris 1

Sylvia Chris
LIS 60626: Library Materials and Services to Teens
Library Proposal Project
15 July 2017
   Chris 2

The NICHOLAS Foundation Grant Proposal for the Ellet Branch Library

1. The Ellet Branch Library is located on 2470 East Market St., Akron, Ohio 44312.
The Ellet community has a population of around 54,994 people with the median
age being 36.31 (point2homes). Roughly, there are over 1,000 teens in the Ellet
area and many attend Ellet High School, and the younger teens go to Hyre Middle
School (publicschoolreview) and anywhere from 30-100 of them go to the library
after school. Another part of the community’s population is the Safe Landing
Youth Shelter, which served over 500 youths in 2015 (sheltercareinc). The Safe
Landing Shelter for Girls is a community partner of the Ellet Branch Library, and
its purpose is to help young girls (ages 11-18) and family in times of crisis all year
round. They work with youth with emotional, behavioral, and family issues and
also have a residential treatment program, as well as short-term residential care
and counseling. Safe Landing Shelter for Girls will provide room for a program
that the library might not have, and there will also be participants for the program,
and counselors present to help maintain control if anything were to go awry.
2. The program that the Ellet Branch Library will be taking to Safe Landing Shelter
for Girls is a yoga program that will provide yoga instruction, mats, and books
about yoga to the girls. Because I am not certified to teach yoga, I would have a
professional yoga instructor from Release Yoga (Green location) come in to teach
the girls yoga for an hour, and also answer any questions they have about yoga.
This will engage the teens because they will be working with someone who will
be able to talk with them and answer their questions. They will also be moving
around instead of just sitting there having someone talk at them, so being able to
participate will be engaging for them. This program meets their developmental
needs by allowing them to participate in a physical activity because yoga is
physical and mental. They will be stretching and moving around, which is
important to help them burn off excess energy and focus. This program will also
provide the girls with positive interactions with each other and the adults present.
The calming mood of the program will help the girls relax and feel more at ease
with one another, the counselors, the yoga instructor, and myself. Finally, this
program will provide structure and meaningful participation to the teens. Many of
the girls at Safe Landing Shelter have behavioral issues and are not accustomed to
having structure in their home lives. A yoga program will help bring them
structure, even if just for an hour, and they will be able to be part of it by
experiencing it in a judgment free room that is for their enjoyment. Also, Ohio
weather does not always allow for physical activities to take place outside, so
yoga would be a good choice to help the girls exercise any season, especially if it
is too warm or too cold to go outside.
a. Accoridng to Kaley-Isley, et al. (2010), yoga in youth can help reduce
negative behaviors, anxiety, and help them learn to focus.
i. By having a yoga program, the girls will be “unplugged”, or away
form technology, for an hour to focus on breathing and movement.
They will be able to focus on themselves and their own body
without worry of being judged or having to talk, if they do not feel
like talking to anyone.
   Chris 3

3. My overall goal for a yoga program at Safe Landing Shelter is for the girls to
enjoy themselves, learn about yoga, and feel more relaxed and at ease. However,
in order for this to happen, I have set up specific goals and objects for this
program.
a. My first goal is that this yoga program would be high quality and
enjoyable for all the girls at Safe Landing. My objectives are that I will be
able to stay up-to-date with the needs at Safe Landing and plan my
programs around them. I will be able to continue to provide programming
to the girls at this shelter because they do not have the same opportunities
to go to the library as other Ellet community teenagers do. I will be able to
get to know the girls at Safe Landing so that they feel more comfortable
around me. They are individuals, not just “girls at a shelter”. These
objectives and goal fall in line with YALSA’s 1.0 guideline for teen
programming, which emphasizes the importance of knowing the
community and working to create relationships among groups in order to
provide meaningful programs.
b. My second goal would be to use this program as an example for the
importance of community outreach. I will be able to do this by applying
my library’s goals and mission statement to my programs to make them
meaningful to the teens participating. I will be able to share the
information regarding my programs with Safe Landing with my coworkers
and upper management to help them understand why outreach to at-risk
youth is so important. This fulfills YALSA 2.0 of teen programing
guidelines by making sure that programs align with community and library
priorities.
c. My third goal would be to have this program be both fun and educational
for the teens that are present at the program. I will be able to do this by
having them participate in the yoga exercises, talk to the yoga instructor
and ask questions, and provide them with books that will help them learn
about self-control, stress techniques, and breathing techniques that will
help them be more independent and in control of themselves. This aligns
with YALSA 4.0 (4.1, 4.5, and 4.7) of developing programs that are
interest-based and developmentally appropriate.
d. My fourth goal would be to have a strong relationship with Safe Landing,
as well as Release Yoga (Green) for future programs and events.
According to YALSA teen programing guide (5.0) it is important to have
partners within the community to create stronger communication, and
allow for varying programs that will attract teens and meet their various
needs. I will be able to do this by reaching out to Safe Landing on a
frequent basis to set up other programs, such as book discussions, game
nights, trivia, etc. I will also be able to work with Release Yoga (Green)
for programs at other locations, such as the Ellet Library or Ellet High
School.
4. As a result from my yoga program plans, the teens of Safe Landing will have a
basic understanding of what yoga is, how it can help them when they are stressed
or feeling any strong negative emotion, and how this form of exercise can help
   Chris 4

them lead a healthy lifestyle. I also want them to feel that they matter and that
they are important by providing them with one on one attention from a trained
yoga instructor, by providing them with yoga and healthy living books, and by
providing them with yoga mats so that they can continue to practice this mindful
practice after the program is done.
5. I will measure the impact and success of this program through qualitative and
quantitative data. First, I will see how many teens are present during the program
to get an idea for the level of interest there was about it. I will also talk to the girls
before and after the program to get a better idea of how they felt before and after,
and to hear their honest opinions on whether or not they liked performing a
physical activity rather than just having a book discussion. I will also hand out a
brief survey for them to fill out after the program that they can return to their
counselor to give to me. Some of the questions on the survey will include:
a. What was your favorite part of the program?
b. What was your least favorite part of today’s program?
c. On a scale from 1 to 5 (1 being the never again and 5 being the very soon)
when would you like to do yoga again?
d. Would you like to have more programs with exercise? (Circle ‘yes’ or
‘no’). If yes, what would you like to see?
6. Yoga can be expensive, so I have prepared a budget that can cover the major
needs of the yoga program. I spoke to Release Yoga (Green), and they said it
would cost $8.00 per girl per hour to teach a yoga class. Although this is an
expensive program, many of the costs are one time. Yoga mats would only need
to be bought once, as would the books. The cost for the first lesson would be
around $380.00. Therefore, if the program goes well, there would still be money
leftover for future yoga programs at Safe Landing. This means that there could be
a yoga program once a month for about eight months, which would make the
program sustainable, and allow the girls to really practice and understand yoga.
The program could also be offered bi-monthly incase of scheduling conflicts, or
harsh weather conditions (especially during the winter months).
10 $8.00/girl 1 hour $80.00
girls
10 $20/mat - $200.00
yoga (Amazon)
mats
10 $10.00 0 $100.00
yoga (Amazon)
books
$380.00
(first
lesson)
7. I want this yoga program to be held at Safe Landing on Friday, September 15 at
4pm. In  order  to  ensure  that  things  run  as  smoothly  as  possible,  I  have  put  
together  a  timeline  that  will  help  me  stay  on  track  with  my  planning  and  
execution  of  the  yoga  program.  
   Chris 5

a. Day  1  (first  week  of  August):  Talk  to  my  manager  regarding  the  
best  days  and  times  in  September  for  me  to  leave  the  building  to  
host  a  program.  
i. Reach  out  to  Safe  Landing  Shelter  for  Girls  to  discuss  a  yoga  
program  and  set  up  possible  dates  and  times  in  September.  
I  will  also  get  a  rough  idea  of  how  many  girls  will  be  
attending  as  well  as  making  sure  the  meeting  space  is  large  
enough  that  the  girls  can  practice  yoga  safely.  
ii. Call  Yoga  Release  (Green  location)  and  discuss  pricing  and  
dates  where  a  yoga  instructor  could  come  to  Safe  Landing.  
b. Day  2:  Confirm  with  Safe  Landing  and  Yoga  Release  the  selected  
day  and  time  (September  14  at  4).  I  will  also  mark  this  on  the  staff  
schedule  so  that  other  staff  member  will  know  where  I  will  be  
from  about  3:15-­‐6  pm  that  day.  
c. Day  3  (second  week  of  August):  start  ordering  materials  (mats  and  
books)  from  Amazon  (Yoga  for  Teens.  Schenk,  Shawna;  Yoga  
Exercises  for  Teens:  Developing  a  Calmer  Mind  and  Stronger  Body    
by  Purperhart,  Helen;  Breathe:  Yoga  For  Teens  by  Chryssicas,  Mary  
Kaye).  By  buying  them  in  bulk,  they  should  all  come  in  at  once,  and  
I  can  keep  them  stored  and  grouped  together.  I  have  selected  three  
books  and  will  order  ten  copies  in  total.  If  they  need  more  of  a  
specific  book,  it  can  be  ordered  and  brought  in  at  a  later  date.  
d. Day  4  (third  week  of  August):  I  should  have  received  the  materials  
I  ordered  online,  and  I  will  keep  them  at  my  desk  until  the  day  
before  the  program,  when  I  will  move  them  to  my  car.  
e. Day  5  (fourth  week  of  August):  I  will  contact  Safe  Landing  to  see  if  
there  is  anything  else  I  should  bring.  They  have  their  own  snacks  
and  water  to  provide  the  girls,  so  I  know  food  is  not  needed.    At  
this  time,  I  will  also  be  in  contact  with  the  specific  yoga  instructor  
via  email  or  telephone  to  confirm  the  address  of  Safe  Landing,  cost  
of  the  program,  and  what  they  will  be  talking  to  the  girls  about.  I  
will  also  talk  to  another  librarian  at  work  in  case  I  am  sick  the  day  
of  the  program  so  that  they  will  be  able  to  go  in  my  place.  
f. Day  6  (September  10):  I  will  have  the  yoga  mats  and  books  ready  
to  go,  and  I  will  also  get  a  final  count  of  participants  from  Safe  
Landing.  I  will  also  have  printed  out  a  post-­‐program  survey  for  the  
girls  to  fill  out.  
g. Day  7  (Day  of  the  program,  September  14):  I  will  call  Safe  Landing  
and  Release  Yoga  in  the  morning  to  confirm  that  the  program  is  
still  going  on.  I  will  remind  the  Ellet  Branch  staff  that  I  will  not  be  
in  the  building  from  about  3:15  to  6pm  that  day.    
i. I  will  get  to  Safe  Landing  early  (3:15)  so  that  I  can  help  with  
setting  up  the  room.  It  will  also  give  me  a  chance  to  talk  to  
some  of  the  girls  who  might  want  to  flip  through  books  
before  the  program  begins.  I  will  also  take  a  final  head  
count  of  the  number  of  girls  there.  If  there  are  fewer  than  
   Chris 6

ten  girls,  I  will  take  the  extra  mats  and  bring  them  again  
next  time.  
ii. I  will  introduce  the  yoga  instructor  to  the  girls  and  their  
counselors,  and  allow  her  to  talk  for  a  few  minutes  about  
her  job,  yoga,  etc.  If  I  am  allowed  to  take  pictures,  I  will  do  
so  to  use  for  my  monthly  report  of  my  programs.  
iii. After  the  program  has  concluded,  I  will  thank  the  yoga  
instructor  and  allow  the  girls  to  ask  any  further  questions,  
flip  through  their  books,  and  roll  up  their  mats.  At  this  time,  
I  will  also  try  to  talk  to  the  girls  about  the  program  and  
provide  them  with  the  survey  to  see  how  they  liked  it.  I  will  
also  assist  in  cleaning  up  and  thanking  the  girls  for  
participating  and  the  counselors  for  keeping  an  eye  on  
thigns.  
h. Day  8  (the  next  day):  I  will  write  thank  you  notes  to  Yoga  Release  
and  Safe  Landing,  thanking  them  both  for  the  providing  space,  
time,  and  knowledge  to  help  make  the  program  a  success.  I  will  
put  the  program  in  my  report  that  my  manager  and  other  
members  of  the  library’s  administration  will  read,  and  then  I  will  
review  what  the  girls  wrote  on  their  surveys  to  determine  how  I  
can  make  the  program  better  in  the  future.  
8.    I  have  also  provided  a  flyer  (see  below)  that  I  made  using  CANVA  
software.  Because  this  program  is  for  a  specific  community  partner,  I  will  
print  off  physical  copies  to  take  to  Safe  Landing  to  hang  up,  and  I  will  also  
provide  them  to  the  counselors  and  other  workers  of  the  shelter  through  
email.  I  will  save  this  flyer  and  attach  it  to  my  report  to  send  to  my  manager  
once  the  program  is  completed.  
   Chris 7

 
   Chris 8

References

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/ellet-

high-school-profile

Kaley-Isley, L. C., Peterson, J., Fischer, C., & Peterson, E. (2010). Yoga as a
Complementary Therapy for Children and Adolescents: A Guide for
Clinicians. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 7(8), 20–32.

Point2 Homes. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from

https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/OH/Akron/Ellet-
demographics.html

Safe Landing Girls. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from

http://www.sheltercareinc.org/programsministries/safe-landing-youth-shelter/safe-
landing-girls/