Book Club Grant Program to Help Underserved Teens

Posted by on October 04, 2010

American Library Association Offers Book Club Grant Program to Help Underserved Teens
Deadline: November 19, 2010

The American Library Association Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association are accepting applications for the next round of Great Stories CLUB grants. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah’s Angel Network.

The Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens, and Books) is a book club program designed to reach underserved, troubled teen populations through books that are relevant to their lives. All types of libraries (public, school, academic, and special) located within or working in partnership with facilities serving troubled teens in the United States and its territories are eligible to apply for a CLUB grant. Potential organizations for Great Stories CLUB partnership include juvenile justice facilities, drug rehabilitation centers, nonprofits serving teen parents, alternative high schools, agencies serving teenaged foster children, shelters serving homeless and runaway youth, and other agencies.

Following the application process, 150 libraries will be selected to develop a book discussion program for troubled teens based on the three theme-related titles and will be given copies of the books to share with participants. Participating libraries will also receive access to an online toolkit to support the program. Small cash grants ($100 to $200) will be awarded to up to twenty-five sites for the support of program-related expenses.

For complete information on the Great Stories CLUB, including guidelines, book titles and descriptions, application instructions, and feedback from past participants, visit the ALA Web site.

http://www.ala.org/greatstories