The Great Stories Club: Reading and Discussion for At-Risk Youth

FAIN: GG-285480-22

ALA (Chicago, IL 60611-2729)
Sarah Ostman (Project Director: August 2021 to August 2022)
Brian Russell (Project Director: August 2022 to present)

Implementation of a nationwide program to support reading and discussion groups for at-risk teens at small local libraries.

The Great Stories Club is a thematic reading and discussion program developed to connect librarians with at-risk youth in their communities through literature-based outreach.

Media Coverage

Education Matters: Students gain love for reading thanks to school’s book club (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Juanita Stevenson
Publication: Your Central Valley
Date: 12/11/2023
Abstract: Video and article about the Great Stories Club program at the Worsley School, part of the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Campus.
URL: https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/education/education-matters-students-gain-love-for-reading-thanks-to-schools-book-club/

The Library Club Helping Teens Reflect, Read, and Heal (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Joseph Williams
Publication: Dallas Weekly
Date: 10/29/2023
Abstract: The American Library Association’s Great Stories Club transforms how youth view themselves, their community, and the world around them.
URL: https://dallasweekly.com/2023/10/the-library-club-helping-teens-reflect-read-and-heal/

The Great Stories Club inspires an enthusiasm for reading (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Joe Minney
Publication: WXOW 19 News
Date: 4/24/2024
Abstract: At Logan High School (La Crosse, WI), LaCrossroads students are participating in The Great Stories Club; a reading and discussion driven program.
URL: https://www.wxow.com/news/the-great-stories-club-inspires-an-enthusiasm-for-reading/article_952bd99e-0279-11ef-8f34-27c9b6908c77.html

Ypsilanti District Library to launch book club for underserved teens (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Meredith Bruckner
Publication: CBS News Detroit
Date: 7/25/2023
Abstract: During the program, trained teen librarians will discuss stories with the book club that explore topics of identity, equity, race and history.
URL: https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/ypsilanti-district-library-to-launch-book-club-for-underserved-teens/

Associated Products

Deeper Than Our Skins: The Present Is a Conversation with the Past (Web Resource)
Title: Deeper Than Our Skins: The Present Is a Conversation with the Past
Author: Maria Sachiko Cecire
Abstract: "The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past.” Barack Obama used these words in 2008 to argue that we can only truly understand—and begin to overcome— the bitterness of modern race relations through a brave and accurate accounting of history. Obama’s line borrows from one that appears in a book by Southern author William Faulkner. In other words, he turned to literature as a source of wisdom about the difficult subject of race in America, and built on what he found there to imagine new pathways towards justice, healing, and unity. Similarly, the “Deeper Than Our Skins” theme is grounded in literature that can help us look beneath the surface of racism in America to reveal how the past is alive in the present. This theme uses powerful stories of oppression, resistance, suffering, and triumph to identify the roots of racialized experience in the United States, and to inspire discussions about how to construct more equitable futures for the people in our country and world.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.ala.org/tools/programming/greatstories/resources/skins
Primary URL Description: This page provides access to all materials needed to promote and implement a GSC reading and discussion series on the Deeper Than Our Skins theme.

Finding Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power (Web Resource)
Title: Finding Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power
Author: Susana M. Morris
Abstract: The old adage goes “children should be seen and not heard.” That conventional wisdom implies that speaking up and out is the exclusive realm of adults. It also suggests that children and young people don’t have important things to say — that they should stay out of adult conversation. The truth is that young people have been vital to making change by speaking and showing up in the face of adversity. Take Joan of Arc, for example. In 1429, while just 18 years old, she led a French army to the besieged city of Orléans in a victory over the English. But we don’t have to go back to 15th-century France to find young heroes. On November 14, 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first African American child to integrate a white Southern elementary school. Her mother and U.S. marshals had to escort young Ruby to class because of violent mobs in her hometown of New Orleans. Bridges was born the same year that Brown v. Board of Education made “separate but equal” public spaces illegal, and her bravery was a milestone in the Civil Rights movement. There are countless examples of young people speaking out and taking a stand against injustice.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.ala.org/tools/programming/greatstories/resources/voice
Primary URL Description: This page provides access to all materials needed to promote and implement a GSC reading and discussion series on the Finding Your Voice theme.

Call for Proposals (FYV and DTOS grants) (Blog Post)
Title: Call for Proposals (FYV and DTOS grants)
Author: PPO Staff
Abstract: Blog post promoting open applications for Great Stories Club grant.
Date: 01/18/2023
Primary URL: https://programminglibrarian.org/articles/apply-now-great-stories-club
Primary URL Description: Blog post promoting open applications for Great Stories Club grant.

Education Matters: Students gain love for reading thanks to school’s book club (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Education Matters: Students gain love for reading thanks to school’s book club
Writer: Juanita Stevenson
Producer: Juanita Stevenson
Abstract: Stories of the success of a Great Stories Club book club made up of detainees at the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Campus.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/education/education-matters-students-gain-love-for-reading-thanks-to-schools-book-club/
Primary URL Description: Your Central Valley "Education Matters: Students gain love for reading thanks to school’s book club"
Access Model: Open
Format: Web

ALA Great Stories Club: "Deeper Than Our Skins" - Theme Facilitation Workshop for Grantees (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: ALA Great Stories Club: "Deeper Than Our Skins" - Theme Facilitation Workshop for Grantees
Writer: ALA staff
Producer: American Library Association
Abstract: This is the recording of the Great Stories Club: "Deeper Than Our Skins" Theme Facilitation Workshop for Grantees that took place on July 13, 2023. This workshop was presented by ALA Staff, GSC National Project Scholar Maria Sachiko Cecire, Pamela McCarter, and Ann Shilling.
Date: 07/13/2023
Primary URL: http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAPuzQILIZM
Primary URL Description: ALA Great Stories Club: "Deeper Than Our Skins" - Theme Facilitation Workshop for Grantees
Access Model: Open
Format: Web

Great Stories Club: DTOS & FYV - Grant Reporting and Evaluation Webinar - ALA and PIE Org (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Great Stories Club: DTOS & FYV - Grant Reporting and Evaluation Webinar - ALA and PIE Org
Writer: ALA Staff
Producer: American Library Association
Abstract: This asynchronous webinar provides logistic information for 2023 ALA Great Stories Club: "Deeper Than Our Skins" and "Finding Your Voice" grantees, supported with funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities. American Library Association staff cover reporting requirements for grantees and staff from evaluation firm PIE Org cover the evaluation timeline for the project.
Date: 06/21/2023
Primary URL: http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5sJyum5sQ8
Primary URL Description: Great Stories Club: Deeper Than Our Skins & Finding Your Voice - Grant Reporting and Evaluation Webinar - ALA and PIE Org
Access Model: Open
Format: Web

ALA Great Stories Club: "Finding Your Voice" - Theme Facilitation Workshop for Grantees (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: ALA Great Stories Club: "Finding Your Voice" - Theme Facilitation Workshop for Grantees
Writer: ALA staff
Producer: American Library Association
Abstract: This is the recording of the Great Stories Club: "Finding Your Voice" Theme Facilitation Workshop for Grantees that took place on July 25, 2023. This workshop was presented by ALA Staff, GSC National Project Scholar Susana M. Morris, Joslyn Bowling Dixon, and Amelia Jenkins. The ALA Great Stories Club: "Finding Your Voice" 2023 grant to libraries is made possible through funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Date: 07/25/2023
Primary URL: http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N7_UEeAv4E
Format: Web

The Library Club Helping Teens Reflect, Read, and Heal (Article)
Title: The Library Club Helping Teens Reflect, Read, and Heal
Author: Joseph Williams
Abstract: The American Library Association’s Great Stories Club transforms how youth view themselves, their community, and the world around them.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://https://dallasweekly.com/2023/10/the-library-club-helping-teens-reflect-read-and-heal/
Primary URL Description: Dallas Weekly article: The Library Club Helping Teens Reflect, Read, and Heal
Access Model: Open
Format: Magazine
Periodical Title: Dallas Weekly
Publisher: Dallas Weekly

Great Stories Club Programming Guide for Libraries (Web Resource)
Title: Great Stories Club Programming Guide for Libraries
Author: ALA Staff
Abstract: A comprehensive how-to guide for libraries and other interested parties to implement a Great Stories Club. The guide includes information about themes developed with funding from NEH and other funders, profiles of key programs around the country, and other general program planning information.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: http://https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/GSC_Prog_Guide_WEB_updated%202024.pdf
Primary URL Description: PDF to download a copy of the guide.

8 Things Librarians Should Know: Working with Juvenile Detention Facilities (Blog Post)
Title: 8 Things Librarians Should Know: Working with Juvenile Detention Facilities
Author: Hannah Arata
Abstract: Two experienced librarians share helpful things to know about working with juvenile detention facilities.
Date: 12/12/2023
Primary URL: http://https://programminglibrarian.org/articles/8-things-librarians-should-know-working-juvenile-detention-facilities
Primary URL Description: Article of tips for working with juvenile detention facilities.
Website: https://programminglibrarian.org/

Reaching Teen Readers: 5 Creative Ways to Build a Great Stories Club (Blog Post)
Title: Reaching Teen Readers: 5 Creative Ways to Build a Great Stories Club
Author: Karen Lindell
Abstract: Need some ideas for a creative teen program? Here are five unique ways to use the Great Stories Club.
Date: 03/01/2023
Primary URL: http://programminglibrarian.org/articles/reaching-teen-readers-5-creative-ways-build-great-stories-club
Primary URL Description: Article about how to develop a Great Stories Club.
Website: https://programminglibrarian.org/

A Weekly Escape Into Stories: The Great Stories Club at a Youth Correctional Facility (Blog Post)
Title: A Weekly Escape Into Stories: The Great Stories Club at a Youth Correctional Facility
Author: Hannah Arata
Abstract: Learn about the impact of the Great Stories Club and how to use the (free!) resources at your library.
Date: 02/17/2023
Primary URL: https://programminglibrarian.org/articles/weekly-escape-stories-great-stories-club-youth-correctional-facility
Primary URL Description: Article about using GSC resources.
Website: https://programminglibrarian.org/

Evaluation Report 2024 Great Stories Club (GSC) (Report)
Title: Evaluation Report 2024 Great Stories Club (GSC)
Author: Planning, Implementation & Evaluation (PIE Org)
Abstract: The findings of the full evaluation, conducted by PIE Org, of the 2023-2024 Great Stories Club project, using the "Deeper Than Our Skins" and "Finding Your Voice" themes.
Date: 10/15/2024
Primary URL: https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/Great%20Stories%20Club%20Final%20Evaluation%20Report%202024.pdf
Primary URL Description: PDF to download a copy of the full evaluation report.
Access Model: Open access

Evaluation Report 2024 Great Stories Club (GSC)--Infographic (Report)
Title: Evaluation Report 2024 Great Stories Club (GSC)--Infographic
Author: Planning, Implementation & Evaluation (PIE Org)
Abstract: Infographic created by PIE Org of the impacts of the 2023-2024 NEH funded GSC series.
Date: 10/15/2024
Primary URL: https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/Great%20Stories%20Club%20Infographic.pdf
Primary URL Description: PDF of the infographic.
Access Model: Open Access

Trade Secrets: Using the Great Stories Club (Article)
Title: Trade Secrets: Using the Great Stories Club
Author: Amelia Jenkins
Author: Amy Ojserkis
Abstract: Amelia Jenkins and Amy Ojserkis, past grantees, are both enthusiastic and passionate about the ALA’s Great Stories Club program and the wealth of possibilities that not only connect teens to great, diverse literature but also strengthen their empathy muscles to create change in the world.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://www.booklistonline.com/Trade-Secrets-Using-the-Great-Stories-Club-Jenkins-Amelia/pid=9791382
Primary URL Description: This conversation covers the many resources and tools available through the Great Stories Club.
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Magazine
Publisher: Booklist

---