Introduction to Youth Services Competencies
Welcome to the Youth Services Competencies!
The Technology Competencies are fairly easy to evaluate. They include very specific actions and tasks with a clear answer. Youth Services Competencies, however, are not as easy. Evaluation for Youth Services staff will take place throughout the year and will include a written evaluation (by the Executive Director) during the evaluation process at the end of each year. At half year evaluations, a review will be made to help Youth Services Staff keep on track.
2013 and 2014 will be a time of learning. The evaluation process will focus on continuing education and discussion among the department. A major first step in this process was the Outcomes Training we received from Anne Gingrich.
I understand that the first comment from YS Staff will be: How am I going to fit this into my schedule?
The answer is a rather simple one: We will work throughout 2013 & 2014 to participate in formal and informal discussions about these topics.
Like the Technical Competencies, you will be provided with the resources to develop your skills. Unlike the Technical Competencies, Youth Services Competencies are much more complicated, complex principles that don't have clear right or wrong answers. There will not be scoring on a simple written exam. There will be opportunities for real professional development that you can use immediately and which will improve your job performance.
Take a deep breathe. This is going to be fun! Trust me!
Roles of Youth Services Team Members
We will be using the different roles of your job to define competencies. Being a part of the Youth Services Team requires you to wear many hats and using these roles can help us develop specific skills in all of them. You will see that under each page for specific roles, there will be different levels of expertise, along with resources, webinar and class information and links. If you have something you'd like to add, send it to me. Just like everything else we do, I am merely giving you a starting point. As we move forward, this will become a work of collaboration.
- Information Provider - Offers reference service, readers' advisory service, information and referral services to children, teens and to adults who care for youth.
- Program and Events Coodinator - Provides recreational and information programs for youth and adults associated with them. Provides learning opportunities. Promotes the value and joy of reading to children and others.
- Learning Facilitator - Aids development of others by teaching and by modeling and demonstrating for individuals and for groups, library skills, appreciation of books and reading, information seeking and evaluation techniques. Teaches and, by example, demonstrates the process of finding, integrating, using and sharing information. Demonstrates to colleagues that library users of all ages are learners and patrons. Creates environments that help patrons become learners.
- Advisor - Provides resources for problem solving. Refers individuals to other resources in the community or area.
- Networker - Brings together others in the community who serve and care for youth. Establishes an institutional relationship with schools, social service agencies, public health departments and other organizations serving youth and their families.
- Partner/Collaborator - Cooperatively designs, plans and execues programs or projects with personnel of one or more other agencies to meet a need, address an issue or adopt an initiative that focuses upon youth and their families in the community.
- Advocate - Acknowledges and upholds the rights of all youth to library materials and services that meet their needs. Protects the rights of youth.
- Manager - Plans, budgets, directs, coordinates, supervises and trains others at various levels. Integrates collections and services for youth into the library as a whole.
Group Assignment!!
This activity will be a group activity. All of you will participate to develop this project together. How you do that is up to you.
Assignment: Maintain an inclusive and cohesive updated list and descriptions of a range of community resources (people, places, things, and money) that can assist youth. I'm sure that between all of us, we have a ton of resources. Now is a great chance to combine all of our lists! These are resources for children, tweens and teens.
Resources which may be helpful:
Community Toolbox: Identifying Community Assets and Resources
It is up to you to decide on how you want to gather and compile this information. When you decide, please let me know and share the workspace with me.