Library Description & Community Demographics

The program will take place at the South Branch of Cleveland Public Library. The library
is currently located within the Clark-Fulton neighborhood but will soon be relocating to its
original building that has been renovated with newer amenities. While the original building is
located within the Tremont neighborhood, it will continue to serve residents of the Clark-Fulton
neighborhood as the building is located near the border of both neighborhoods. The branch will
have a separate room for teens with computers with internet access. Laptops will also be
available for in branch usage. A multipurpose room is available for programming in addition to a
new, large meeting room that can hold fifty people.
According to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey-5 Year Estimates (U.S.
Census Bureau), within the city of Cleveland there are about 26,696 teens who are 15 to 19 years
of age. Of those who are 16 to 19 years of age, 7.2% are neither attending school or in the labor
force, with Latinx teens comprising 9.7%, the highest percentage in this category when
compared to Caucasians and African Americans. However, 43.7% of teens ages 15 to 19 are
reported as being in the labor force. The program seeks to empower all teens to become
confident job seekers through a series of workshops, with a focus on serving Latinx teens, given
the large number of Latinos within the community. For example, within the Clark-Fulton
neighborhood, the Latino population makes up about 47% of the area (Cleveland City Planning
Commission, 2014).
The job seeking process can be intimidating for anyone, let alone teens who are
embarking on their first job hunt. For those dealing with barriers such as language differences,
poverty, and a lack of training opportunities the process can be even more dauting. In the report
issued by YASLA (2014) regarding the need for librarians to adapt to the changing needs of
teens, a concern addressed was the need for better workforce training development. The
proposed program will initiate this process by first exposing teens to the job search process,
including building a resume and participating in mock interviews through a series of five, 90-
minute interactive workshops. While the program is intended for all teens, ages 12 to 18, the
program will also address the needs of Latinx teens by offering services geared towards them;
for example, bilingual staff will be conducting the workshops and mock interviews will be held
by recognized, Latino community leaders.

Program Details
Program title: Operation Level Up!
Intended audience: Teens ages 12 to 18, with services geared towards Latinx teens. Workshops
are planned for a group size of 6 teens but can reasonably accommodate up to 8 teens.
Program set-up:
A series of five workshops will be conducted over the course of seven weeks, with one
workshop per week up until week four. A break will be held between workshops four and five to
allow time for the delivery of t-shirts teens in the program will have designed. Each workshop
will run about 90 minutes and progress in topics. Pre-registration will be required but if spots are
available, walk-ins will be welcomed. The workshops will introduce teens to the job searching
process, but in a manner that reduces anxiety and stress around the topic. Staff will approach the
topic with the idea that teens are superheroes and/or videogame characters. As teens progress
through the workshops, teens will “level up,” similarly to how a videogame character would as
they complete tasks, quests, etc. Teens will receive specially designed buttons for every “level”
completed. The four workshops will prepare teens for the final fifth workshop, in which they will
participate in a mock interview with community leaders, known as the final “boss battle.”
 Workshop 1 (Level 1): Introduction to resume building. What is a resume and what kind
of information should be included? Staff will walk teens through the steps of building a
resume and afterwards teens will participate in an activity in which they will work in
teams of two, to design a resume for a superhero of their choice. Following this activity,
teens will begin designing a resume for their “super” persona, to be used in their final
workshop. Resumes do not have to be completed at this workshop, only started.
 Workshop 2 (Level 2): Importance of professionalism. Staff will assist teens in creating
email address appropriate to use when contacting potential employers. Staff will hold a
discussion with teens about what they believe is appropriate etiquette in a workplace and
what they believe is good interview etiquette. Teens will be given the opportunity to
discuss the differences/similarities between characters presented in person, online, and on
paper, and importance.
 Workshop 3 (Level 3): Introduction to job searching. Using indeed.com teens will search
for jobs under a category of their choice such as retail. Staff will discuss the importance
of key terms when conducting a search. Staff will also assist teens in incorporating key
words employers are looking for into their resumes.
 Workshop 4 (Level 4): Let your teenacity show! Teens will get to design their own t-
shirts using the hashtag #teenacious. These t-shirts will be available to be worn during the
final “boss battle,” displaying their tenacious spirits.
 Workshop 5 (Level 5): Six to eight community leaders will conduct one on one mock
interviews with the teens.

Goals, Objectives, & Expected Learning Outcomes (ELOs)

 Goal 1: Teens will feel more comfortable when it comes to creating a resume
o Objective: After a 90-minute session, in which teens will break up into groups of
two, teens will be able to create a resume for an imaginary superhero.
 ELO: Teens will be able to list a minimum of 3 skills they possess that
make them “super” and can include in a resume
 Goal 2: Teens will understand the importance of professionalism when applying for a job.
o Objective: After a 90-minute session in which teens will discuss what they believe
is appropriate etiquette in a workplace and what they believe is good interview
etiquette, teens will be able to give two to three examples of good interview
etiquette and two bad examples of unprofessionalism.
  ELO: Teens will exhibit positive body language during an interview such
as sitting up straight.

Assessment of Program
At the end of all five workshops, participants will be asked to complete a survey. Survey will
collect demographic information such as age of the participant and grade level in school. Survey
will ask questions geared toward answering the questions of did they enjoy the program? And
did they get it? The following is a list of example questions for the survey:
 How old are you?
 Did you like or dislike the handouts provided to you? Do you prefer digital copies over
paper copies?
 What is one thing you enjoyed about this program (if any)?
 What is one thing you did not enjoy?
 Do you have any suggestions to improve this program?
 After having participated in this program, do you feel more confident about applying for
jobs? Do you feel more confident about job interviews?

Itemized Budget
Item Name Max Price per Item Total
quantity
Samsill Professional
8 Listed as $10.49 on
Padfolio-Resume Portfolio $83.92
Amazon
with 8.5 x 11 writing pad
Gildan Adult T-Shirt; color Listed as $2.88 on Big City
8 $23.04
Heather Samphire Sportswear Graphics
Printed T-shirts with own
8 N/A ~$30.00+
design
Packet of Southworth 100%
Cotton Resume Paper, 8.5” 1 Listed as $5.85 on Amazon $5.85
x 11” (100 sheets)
Pizza for teens (offered at 3 $5 for Fresh & Ready
6 $30.00
workshops) Pizzas at Little Caesar’s
Nestlé Pure Life Purified Listed as $3.98 a package
4 $15.92
Water 32-16.9 fl. oz. Bottle at Walmart
Lays Potato Chips Party
4 Listed as $3.48 at Walmart $13.93
Sized
Food for final workshop for
? N/A ~$75.00
teens & community leaders

Total: ~$277.66
Timeline
Week 1 (days 1-5): Select official time and date to hold the program. Allow for 2 to 3 days for
manager to evaluate date and make any changes to selected date and time, if necessary.
Week 2 (days 6-10): Contact community leaders selected to participate in program at the
beginning of the week. Allow for a week’s time for individuals or their offices to contact back
regarding interest and availability to participate. If no response is given, attempt to contact one
more time but if no response is given at the end of week 3, proceed to contact another
community leader. A list of individuals who will be asked to participate pending schedule and
interest include:
o Jaime Declet: CPL South Branch Manager.
o Jasmine Santana: Ward 14 Council woman.
o Victor Ruiz: Executive Director of Esperanza.
o Thomas Stacho: Commander of the Second District Police Station.
o Jennifer Moncayo: Children’s Librarian of South Branch.
o Rev. Father Mark Riley: Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church.

Week 3 (days 11-15): Begin designing general advertisement for program to pique interests of
others. Offer flyers in both Spanish and English. Ask co-worker to proof read flyers and/or make
suggestions, etc. Edit flyers as necessary. Contact other potentially interested community leaders,
if necessary.
Week 4 (days 16-20): Begin talking about program to teens. Get teens hyped up for it and gauge
interests and record any specific request about related topic. Create sign-up sheet.
Week 5 (days 21-25): Distribute flyers to local schools with teens and display around the branch,
including the teen section. By this week, community members interested in participating should
be officially scheduled.
Week 6 (days 26-30): Create an outline for the first two workshop sessions. Ask co-workers for
suggestions, etc. Create paper handouts with information to be covered for students to take
home. Create digital copies for those interested in accessing information via online.
Week 7 (days 31-35): Create an outline for the third workshop session. Follow same plan as
previous week.
Week 8 (days 36-40): Create a display in the teen section centered around the program with
books about resume building, etc. to grab their attention. Include newly designed flyers, with
more detail about what program entitles. Promote via social media and to teens visiting the
branch. Purchase supplies with an estimated delivery of a few days to a week (resume portfolio
and resume purchase)
Week 9 (days 41-45): Continue promoting program! Towards the end of the week, purchase food
& supplies that can be purchased ahead of time (bags of chips, water bottles, and miscellaneous
snacks).
Week 10 (days 46-50): Program launch! Adjust future workshops if necessary, based on how the
first workshop goes.

Marketing Plan
The program will be advertised in three different ways. The first way is through flyers
which initially have the intention of sparking interests and will be created in week 3 of the
planning process and then distributed during week 5. At this point, the program would be about a
month away and teens would ideally have sufficient time to plan their schedules around it, if
interested. The aim of the first round of flyers is to spark interests, while providing some detail
about the program and would be designed with eye-catching elements in mind such as
contrasting color. Flyers promoting the program will be given to both middle and high school
teachers in the hopes of them helping to promote the event to their students. Two weeks before
the first workshop, a display will be created in the teen section with a new flyer that gives a bit
more detail about the program. The flyer will be designed on an 11 x 17 sheet of paper and the
display will include books about job hunting, resume building etc.
The second way the program will be advertised is through word of mouth. Staff will
speak to teens about the program and if parents are present, they can also be notified about the
program. Word of mouth may carry more value than flyers because if the program sounds
appealing to teens, then it is likely they will tell their friends about it as well. The third way the
program will be advertised is through Yammer, which all CPL staff can have access to.
Employees can use Yammer to share events happening at their local branches and encourage
other branches to share them with their patrons.
The following is an example of a post that could be made on the library’s twitter account:
“Having trouble facing that final boss level of a job interview? Join us in leveling up as we cover
the basics of resume building, interview skills, and more! Not enough HP? No problem, snacks
will be provided to fill up that health bar! Be teenacious and join Operation Level Up!
#Teenacious.”
Sample Flyer:
 References:
Cleveland City Planning Commission (2014). 2014 neighborhood fact sheets: Clark-Fulton.
Retrieved from http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/2010census/downloads/Clark-
Fulton.pdf
Pixabay (2018). Clker-Free-Vector-Images. [Image] Retrieved from
https://pixabay.com/en/t-shirt-white-shirt-front-fashion-303371/
U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Characteristics of Teenagers 15 to 19 Years Old (U.S. Census Bureau Publication No.
S0902). Retrieved from
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
YASLA (2015). Teen Programming Guidelines. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teen-programming-guidelines
YASLA (2014). The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action.
Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/yaforum/future-library-services-and-teens-project-report