It’s What’s Happening for Young Adults Through the Library

Egg Scavenger Hunt in the Library! Search the Library for painted eggs, painted by teen volunteers! Patrons can participate in the scavenger hunt anytime they visit the Library between April 17–May 1. When you successfully complete the Scavenger Hunt, you can submit your completed entry to be entered into a raffle to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Only one entry per person. There will be only one winner. Patrons of all ages can participate! The Scavenger Hunt sheets to participate will be available at the Library beginning April 17. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Earn community service by painting ornaments for the Garden City Public Library’s Tweens and Teens Department’s Ornament Tree! Each volunteer will receive three ornaments and a set of paint pens to decorate their ornaments at home. Paint pens must be returned to the Library. These ornaments will be used to decorate our new ornament tree each month!

For the month of April, ornaments will be flowers, which will be used to decorate the Tweens and Teens Ornament Tree in May. Registration begins Tuesday, April 18, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org). Completed ornaments must be returned by Thursday, April 27, to the Library.

Registrants will be asked to pick up their ornaments at the Library in order to participate in this community service program. Volunteers must return three decorated ornaments and their set of paint pens in order to receive community service. Volunteers will receive two hours for every three ornaments they submit, at the discretion of the Tweens and Teens Department. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Volunteer to read to and then do a craft with children ages PreK-Grade 2 during the program Reading Pals! The April session will be held on Tuesday, April 18. Registration begins Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. The Reading Pals program runs from 4 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 3:30 p.m. to review the material before the start of the program and stay until 5 p.m. to help clean up. Volunteers must be in Grades 6–12 only. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Volunteers Needed: LEGO Club

Volunteer to help children Grades K-5 during the monthly Children's program LEGO Club! The April session will be held on Wednesday, April 19.

The LEGO Club program runs from 4 p.m.–4:45 p.m. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 3:30 p.m. to help setup before the start of the program and stay after to help clean up until 5:15 p.m. Volunteers must be in Grades 6–12 only. Registration to volunteer begins Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Join us for Tweens and Teens Dungeons and Dragons and learn how to play the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons by participating in one of our monthly Dungeons and Dragons Meet-Ups! Beginners are welcome! Each meet-up will feature a new self-contained, one-shot adventure and players will be assigned premade characters to play. Please register via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org) to participate in this program. The April session will be held Thursday, April 20, at 4 p.m. Registration begins Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper. Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Teens who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program.

Kick off the weekend with our new Teen Gamers program! We will have our Nintendo Switch consoles for teens to use as well as tabletop board games and Magic: The Gathering cards for teens to play with. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12. The March session will be held Friday, April 21, at 3:30 p.m. Registration begins Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Teens who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Create your own scratch art on Thursday, April 27, at 4 p.m. during Tween Thursdays: Scratch Art. Tweens will receive a wood stylus tool to create art on 8x11” scratch art paper.This program is for tweens in Grades 4–7 only and is a joint program with the Children’s Department and Young Adult Department. Registration begins Tuesday, April 18, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Tweens in Grades 6–7 who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Earn community service by creating bookmarks for Garden City Public Library patrons! Each volunteer will receive 10 bookmarks to color, decorate, and write positive or library/book themed messages. These bookmarks will be placed in books throughout the Library in order to brighten the day of the patrons who check them out. Bookmarks will be placed in books in all three departments, including Children’s, Tweens and Teens, and Adult Reference. Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. The Winter-Spring Session of the program will run for 10 weeks. While the first two weeks of the program is over, the remaining nine weeks will be as follows:

• Registration Week Five: Monday, April 3, at 10 a.m. to Friday, April 7 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Six: Monday, April 10, at 10 a.m. to Friday, April 14 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Seven: Monday, April 17, at 10 a.m. to Friday, April 21 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Eight: Monday, April 24, at 10 a.m. to Friday, April 28 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Nine: Monday, May 1, at 10 a.m. to Friday, May 5 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Ten: Monday, May 8 at 10 a.m. to Friday, May 12 at 4 p.m.

Bookmarks should be returned no later than Wednesday, May 31.

Registrants will be asked to pick up their bookmarks at the Library in order to participate in this community service program. Volunteers must return 10 completed bookmarks in order to receive community service. Volunteers will receive two hours for every 10 bookmarks they submit, at the discretion of the Tweens and Teens Department. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

The Tweens and Teens Department is looking for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12 to volunteer to provide feedback on recently published Young Adult books as part of our Tweens and Teens Best Books 2023 Committee! Eligible books are those published between October 1, 2022 and December 5, 2023 and aimed at tweens and teens in Grades 6–12.

Volunteers will be asked to read books on the Tweens and Teens Department’s monthly reading lists beginning with December 2022 and then write a 300-word review. Volunteers can also nominate a book not on our lists as long as it’s published between October 1, 2022 and December 5, 2022 and the Library owns a physical copy in the Young Adult collection. Volunteers will earn community service credit.

Credit for both reading and writing reviews on new books in the Library’s Young Adult Collection. The feedback used throughout the year will help the Young Adult Librarians compile the Best Books list for the year in December 2023.

There are no requirements on how many books a volunteer must read and volunteers can read however many new books they are able to throughout the year. Volunteers can get credit for books they do not finish, as long as they provide 300word feedback as to why they chose not to finish the book. The committee may meet throughout the year if there is interest, but volunteers are not required to attend meetings and can still participate by reading and providing feedback on recent Young Adult books.

If interested, please sign-up to join the committee by visiting Garden City Public Library’s website at https://www. gardencitypl.org/tweens-teens-bestbooks-2023-committee/ or for more information, please contact the Young Adult Department at https://www.gardencitypl. org/young-adult-department/contact-theyoung-adult-tweens-teens-department/.

Follow Garden City Library’s Tweens and Teens on Facebook and Instagram! The Young Adult Department uses both social media platforms as a tool to post updates and announcements about upcoming Library programs and community service opportunities.

Here are the Facebook and Instagram pages for the Garden City Public Library Tweens and Teens Department: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ GCPLTweensTeens

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ GCPLTweensTeens

If you’re interested in participating and want to learn when events will be happening for tweens and teens (Grades 6–12), or if you have any questions, email Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta at https:// www.gardencitypl.org/young-adult-department/contact-the-young-adult-tweensteens-department/ .

If you are interested in helping to come up with programming ideas or social media outreach ideas for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12, consider joining the Teen Advisory Board. Online applications are available at https://www.gardencitypl.org/teen-advisory-board-application/ Applicants should be in Grades 6–12. Email Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta at https://www.gardencitypl.org/ young-adult-department/contact-theyoung-adult-tweens-teens-department/ if you have any questions.