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Our amazing Programming Team has been awarded the 2024 OPLA Advocacy in Action: Excellence in Children’s or Teen Services Award! Programmers Claire (on left) and Ikhlas (on right) accepted the award on behalf of Waterloo Public Library’s Programming Team. This prestigious recognition was celebrated at the annual Child and Youth EXPO this fall, with further acknowledgment at the 2025 OLA Super Conference. This award highlights their outstanding dedication to youth advocacy and their lasting positive impact on teens in the Waterloo community.
Since its launch in 2018, the Teen Events Team has become a unique collaboration between library staff and over 40 local teen volunteers, who together have contributed more than 800 hours of time. These young volunteers don’t just participate—they actively design programs, help with library events, and lead meaningful projects that address community needs. Last year they organized a hygiene product drive, collecting over a thousand essential items for people in need and they will be running the drive again this year. They also led a Climate Action Day in the spring, planting pollinator plants and helping families build over 60 birdhouses right inside the library (a lively day for sure!).
Through the Teen Events Team, the library’s Programming Team has fostered a strong sense of belonging, promoted leadership, and created job skill-building opportunities for local teens. Their work with these young volunteers is helping to build sustainable, relevant programming that continues to evolve with the Waterloo community.
Congratulations to our Programming Team and their exceptional teen volunteers on this well-deserved award!