By Carolyn Mish
For Maggie Machado, a senior at Aptos High School, the library she grew up going to wasn’t just a hub where she fostered her love of reading. It was also a place where she could play video games with her friends, and where, as she grew older, she developed leadership skills too—all through volunteering with the Advisory Council of Teens.
Three regions have an Advisory Council of Teens (ACT), a board of Santa Cruz County youth who provide feedback and their opinions on programs and initiatives led by librarians at Santa Cruz Public Library locations. They also volunteer with children’s programs like the Minecraft and LEGO programs, helping younger kids enjoy the same programs they benefited from growing up.
“Most of us who are currently on the council, we participated in the programs when we were younger,” Machado said. “I had an after school program that was close to the library, and the thing that kept me coming back as a kid was the friends I made there. Sometimes it’s hard to hang out with neighbors or kids your age who aren’t from your school, so that’s how I started hanging out with other kids and making some of my best friends.”
Corbin Bettencourt, a senior at Aptos high school, also began volunteering with the council after participating in the programs at the Aptos library in his youth.
“I first got involved with the council when I joined the Wednesday Minecraft program. I decided to come to the Sunday meetings, and it was a good time,” Bettencourt said. “I liked helping the community and sharing my ideas.”
In addition to helping run programs like Minecraft, LEGO, and LEGO Robotics, the council functions as a youth advisory board and provides input on Santa Cruz Public Libraries changes. During the renovation of the Aptos library, the council gave critical feedback as to how the teen area should look and function. They also help distribute surveys and run raffles to fundraise for the library.
Many of the current members of the council were recruited from the programs themselves, and continuing to support these programs may be key to continued success for the council.
“I wish we had more members,” Machado said. “As some of us start to graduate high school and move on, I’m watching the council get smaller, and that worries me because I want the programs to stick around. I want people to be there to help the librarians who run the programs.”
There are future initiatives that the council is hoping to implement, including potential new programs.
“I really enjoy the stop motion animation program we’re working on and I’m really looking forward to doing that with the kids,” Bettencourt said. “I wish I knew it existed sooner. I didn’t know about it until I got invited, in my junior year. I feel like it would be nice if it were more well known and more teens could get involved.”
Machado emphasized how much she enjoyed her experience volunteering with the council, and urged other teens to consider doing the same.
“This is an accessible activity, and it’s really fulfilling,” Machado said. “It’s really good to be a part of the community, and I’d want more teens in our county to know that this is something they can do, and they can find more friends and social opportunities while they do it.”
More information about the three regional Advisory Councils of Teens and how interested teens ages 12-18 can get involved can be found on the library website, linked here.
Carolyn Mish holds a position at the Division of Undergraduate Education at UCSC as a Student Writer. She reports on events and community stories in order to highlight voices and perspectives.