#metoo, #timesup, and the Definition of Consent

Posted on February 01, 2018

”Consent is as easy as FRIES: Freely Given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific.” -Planned Parenthood

Q: What is ’consent’?

A: "Consent is not the absence of 'no', it is an enthusiastic YES!"

The answer above is a quote from What Does Consent Really Mean? a new graphic novel that has arrived in several of our Young Adult sections across the county.  

Our friend Webster (the dictionary of course), makes it seem so simple: “intransitive verb, to give assent or approval: agree.”  If it’s really that basic, then how has a hashtag become a nationwide (and beyond) movement resulting in thousands upon thousands of women, trans individuals, and men all divulging long closeted secrets of abuse... and the corresponding consequences of tarnished reputations, loss of employment, court cases, and even prison sentences?

The reality is, there is no simple answer, magic wand, or bandage that will ‘make it all better’.  What we can do is read, observe, listen, educate & advocate for ourselves and each other, and move forward into a future where everyone understands that an ‘enthusiastic yes’ is an essential ingredient in our relationships of all types.

Speaking of reading................... (hint, hint!)

Interested in checking out some #metoo fiction? 

Immerse yourself in our Teen Book Lists page and scroll down to the #metoo booklist carousel for some relevant reads.

Additionally, listed below are several important resources for teens & young adults.  It might not hurt to program these numbers in your phone right now so that you will be prepared if/when a friend or someone you know needs help.

-24 Hour Suicide Prevention Hotline

-S.A.Y 24/7 Hotline, Teen Shelter, Resources

-Verity: compassion, safety, support (sexual abuse/assault hotline)

-Forestville Teen Clinic

Note: These are examples of help that is available to you—there are additional organizations accessible countywide.  If you need help/information/resources, don’t hesitate to reach out.  Ask the open-minded Young Adult Librarian at your favorite branch of the Sonoma County Library.  We’re here for you!

Post by Rosalie C. Abbott, Sebastopol Regional Library

Happy New Year!

Posted on December 30, 2017

Why not try something new in 2018?

The New Year is a perfect time of year to get a fresh start.  It's a time to gain perspective, create new goals, or just try something that you've never done before.  Are you up for the adventure?  

Young Adult Librarians across the county have been conspiring to create a season of opportunity for Teens... you'll be able to have some fun, learn new skills, and get connected.  Here are a few highlights of the activities that you can expect during the month of January at various branches of the Sonoma County Library!

Project Linus @ Windsor Regional Library on 1/2:

Project Linus is a nonprofit organization that provides blankets to children in need.  This program provides an opportunity for teens to help others as well as learn a new craft.  Teens individually or in pairs create knotted fleece blankets for donation to the local Linus Project chapter.

Teen Yoga @ Rohnert Park Library on 1/3, and @ the Sebastopol Regional Library on 1/31:

This class is specifically designed for teens, giving them an opportunity to work on strength and flexibility while relieving the stress of daily life. Classes build positive self awareness and self esteem through active yoga poses, balance work, partner games, breath work, and deep relaxation with music. This is the perfect break in between the busy worlds of school, friends, family, studying and partying. Join us to de-stress and power up! All Teens welcome.

At the Rincon Valley Branch, check out these fabulous opportunities:

Chess Club & Maker Space for Teens (soft electronic circuits anyone?)

What’s happening at the Petaluma Library this month? (Besides LUMACON of course?!)

CoderDojo, Homework Help, SAT Prep, Jam Session with SoCo Music...

Are you getting ready for National History Day?  Check this out at the Central Library:

National History Day Project Rx is a research open house.

• Conduct primary and secondary research with the guidance of library staff.
• Get one-on-one help from a History Day staff member.
• Attend a mini-lesson on annotated bibliographies and/or thesis statements.
• View sample projects.
• Get pumped up about History Day!

Can You Be Neutral About ‘Net Neutrality’? (Points of View)

Posted on December 10, 2017

What is Net Neutrality:

“Internet, or "net," neutrality is the idea that Internet users should have equal access to all Internet content and that corporations and government agencies should not restrict access to Internet sites or services. The debate began in the early 2000s, and the term "net neutrality" was first coined by Columbia University law professor Tim Wu in 2003. The net neutrality debate covers both government regulations that censor Internet content and efforts by Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict or reduce access to certain sites and services to increase their profits.” (Isuit)

Why Does it Matter Now?

“The Federal Communications Commission will vote Dec. 14 on a plan to undo the landmark 2015 rules that had placed Internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon under the strictest-ever regulatory oversight.” (Selyukh)

Gaining Perspective:

The Sonoma County Library has an excellent online resource where you may read about controversial topics to become more well informed. ‘Points of View’ offers topic overview, critical analysis, as well as both point and counterpoint arguements.  Go to: www.sonomalibrary.org -> Research -> Databases -> Points of View (library card & pin)

Not sure where to begin?  Ask the Young Adult Librarian at your local branch of the Sonoma County Library.  

We’re here for you.

Post By Rosalie C. Abbott / Sebastopol Regional Library

Works Consulted:

-Points of View: Internet Neutrality 9/30/2016, p1-1. 1p.

-FCC Unveils Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/21/565682679/fcc-unveils-plan-to-repeal-net-neutrality-rules

Disaster and Resilience - A Teen Book List

Posted on November 01, 2017

Do you ever wonder what this world is coming to?  

One peek at the news or your Instagram feed, and it can feel like you just woke up to the apocalypse.  We've seen natural disasters reaching far around the globe and right here in our own backyards.  There's violence, terror, and... the list goes on.  During these times, when it seems like our reality can't possibly get any worse... it can be incredibly helpful to reach for examples of resilience, survival, strength, and courage.  Scroll down for a list of books (fiction and non-fiction) where young adults have been put to the test--mostly by natural disasters--and not only survive... they also thrive in the face of hardship and devastation.

In Darkness Lake, by Nick Lake, Fiction (Library Call Number: Y LAKE) "Shorty" is a Haitian boy trapped in the ruins of a hospital when the earth explodes around him. Surrounded by lifeless bodies and growing desperately weak from lack of food and water, death seems imminent. Yet as Shorty waits in darkness for a rescue that may never come, he becomes aware of another presence, one reaching out to him across two hundred years of history.

Dark Water, by Laura McNeal, Fiction (Library Call Number: Y MCNEAL) Living in a cottage on her uncle's southern California avocado ranch since her parent's messy divorce, fifteen-year-old Pearl Dewitt meets and falls in love with an illegal migrant worker, and is trapped with him when wildfires approach his makeshift forest home.

All We Have Left, by Wendy Mills, Fiction (Library Call Number: Y MILLS) In interweaving stories of sixteen-year-olds, modern-day Jesse tries to cope with the ramifications of her brother's death on 9/11, while in 2001, Alia, a Muslim, gets trapped in one of the Twin Towers and meets a boy who changes everything for her as flames rage around them.

The Memory of Things, by Gae Polisner, Fiction (Library Call Number: Y POLISNER) On the morning of September 11, 2001, sixteen-year-old Kyle Donohue watches the first twin tower come down, then while fleeing home to safety, he finds a girl covered in ash who has no memory.

Hurricane Song, by Paul Volponi, Fiction (Library Call Number: Y VOLPONI) Twelve-year-old Miles Shaw goes to live with his father, a jazz musician, in New Orleans, and together they survive the horrors of Hurricane Katrina in the Superdome, learning about each other and growing closer through their painful experiences.

Hold tight, don't let go : a novel of Haiti, by Laura Rose Wagner, Fiction (Library Call Number: Y WAGNER) In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Nadine goes to live with her father in Miami while her cousin Magdalie, raised as her sister, remains behind in a refugee camp, dreaming of joining Nadine but wondering if she must accept that her life and future are in Port-au-Prince.

Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward, Fiction (Library Call Number: WARD) Enduring a hardscrabble existence as the children of alcoholic and absent parents, four siblings from a coastal Mississippi town prepare their meager stores for the arrival of Hurricane Katrina while struggling with such challenges as a teen pregnancy and a dying litter of prize pups.

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, by Don Brown, Non-Fiction (Library Call Number: Y 363.34 BROWN) On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina's monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the protective levees around low-lying New Orleans, Louisiana. One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives. The tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage -- and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality.

Every falling star : the true story of how I survived and escaped North Korea, by Sungju Lee, Non-Fiction (Library Call Number: Y 951.9305 LEE) This is the memoir of a boy named Sungju who grew up in North Korea and, at the age of twelve, was forced to live on the streets and fend for himself after his parents disappeared. Finally, after years of being homeless and living with a gang, Sungju is reunited with his maternal grandparents and, eventually, his father.

The Bite of the Mango, by Mariatu Kamara, Non-Fiction (Library Call Number: Y 966.404 KAMARA) When Mariatu set out for a neighborhood village in Sierra Leone, she was kidnapped and tortured, and both of her hands cut off. She turned to begging to survive. This heartrending memoir is a testament to her courage and resilience. Today she is a UNICEF Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

NOTE: This list was thoughtfully compiled for you by our *fabulous* Young Adult Librarian, Lara Mayelian, at the Rincon Valley Regional Library.  If you are looking for additional titles or need more recommendations, ask your friendly Teen Librarian at your local branch of the Sonoma County Library.  

We are here for you!

Post by Rosalie Abbott, Sebastopol Regional Library