Summer has (finally) arrived in our corner of the world, but vacations are so last year – this year is all about the Staycation! The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is hosting the Staycation, a summer-long series of programs and events designed for the 13 to 18 age group. The programs were created and chosen in consultation with teens from OPL Teen Advisory Groups across Ottawa and led by our Teen Librarians.
The Staycation is all about creative expression and finding new ways for teens to connect with themselves and with fellow Staycationers over crafty DIY projects, gaming adventures, music and drama workshops and weekly themed book club discussions. The Staycation promises an interactive itinerary that will keep teens interested and engaged in exploring different ways to create, to share, to discuss, and to reflect in ways that will make the summer of 2020 as fun as it is memorable.
Participation is free, online, interactive and social. Every Staycation session is a singular event so teens can sign up for the ones that appeal to them. There is no need to sign up for the whole summer, so that teens can bring a friend and new Staycationers can join in as the summer rolls along. Enrollment for each activity will be kept quite small to encourage real-time interaction and sharing. The craft activities on Tuesday afternoons are drop-in, so there is no need to register in advance. The plan is for Staycation to fill summer 2020 with storytelling, creativity, new skills and lots of sharing and interactive fun.
Here is an overview of the Staycation program:
Mondays from 2 pm to 3 pm: Join a Company of Fools Artistic Director Nicholas Leno on a series of free acting workshops for students. Whether you just want to get your feet wet, are interested in learning more about the craft, or preparing for theatre school, these workshops have something for everyone.
Tuesdays from 3 pm to 4 pm: Young and Crafty ̶ More than just ‘making pretty things,’ crafting also serves as a soothing mindfulness exercise and can help to develop practical planning and problem-solving skills. Every week we will demonstrate how to make a different craft.
Wednesdays from 2 pm to 3 pm: Learn to play the Ukulele with Joel Jacques ̶- Learn to play pop songs on the ukulele with an experienced music teacher, right from home via Zoom. We’ll build a repertoire of songs including recent hits (mainly from Canadian artists), and timeless classics.
Wednesdays from 4 pm to 6 pm: Dungeons and Dragons ̶- Players will play through a complete adventure led by the Dungeonmaster with pre-generated characters over the course of two sessions. Come solve mysteries, and fight some monsters with your friends!
Thursdays from 4 pm to 5 pm: Teen Book Club ̶- Not sure what to read next? Then join our weekly teen virtual book club to share and talk about the books you’ve been reading and get recommendations from other teens. Each week will feature a different theme.
For more information on these programs and updates, check out the Staycation page on our website: https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/teen-staycation and check the OPL homepage regularly for exciting activities everyday.
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