Library, non-profit promote literacy
CALEXICO — The Camarena Memorial Library recently partnered with the MAG Coalition for the library’s Teen Time program to further promote literacy among local youth.
About 75 teenagers participated in the March 4 event at the library, where they spoke about the last novel they had read and the reasons they liked it.
Participants were treated to pizza and drinks and went home with a free book from the library, as well.
“The purpose of our partnership is to instill the love of literacy, books and reading and the importance of continued education,” said Lizeth Legaspi, acting city librarian.
For the past 15 years, the library has offered the Teen Time program, previously known as Teen RIFs (Reading is Fundamental) or Teen Movie Nights, where teens can get together to promote literacy, perform crafts or watch a movie.
Previous partners have included Sure Helpline Crisis Center, which shared a presentation geared for teens, as well as Wells Fargo bank, Legaspi said.
Helping spread the love of books and reading during the event were MAG Teens book ambassadors from Enrique Camarena Junior High’s social justice club. Additionally, MAG (Mothers and Men Against Gangs) volunteers consisted of parents, teachers, and MAG Coalition board members.
To coincide with Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March), the book ambassadors focused on female and African American authors, said Yulil Alonso-Garza, MAG Coalition founder/president and Enrique Camarena Junior High English teacher.
Some of those literary works included authors such as Angie Thomas, Erica Sanchez, Nic Stone, Jason Reynolds, Elizabeth Acevedo and Richard Paul Evans.
“They have been reading several novels with themes and topics that interest them with meaningful life lessons,” Alonso-Garza said.
In the past, the coalition had partnered with libraries in El Centro and Heber to host MAGnificent Family Literacy nights, which occurred as one-time events.
The MAG Coalition was formed in the wake of the 2013 fatal stabbing of Alonso-Garza’s 17-year-old son, Martin Alberto Garza, to help prevent teens from joining gangs.
The coalition’s partnership with Camarena Memorial Library will result in monthly gatherings.
“This activity is one of many MAG Coalition plans to implement as part of our gang awareness and prevention programs,” Alonso-Garza said. “Our focus is to develop and engage students in meaningful life-changing events, seven days a week — morning, day and night.”
The books that were recommended by the coalition’s book ambassadors appeared to have found new prospective readers in some of the event’s participants, while others had remarked how Martin’s story taught them to make better choices, Alonso-Garza said.
A few participants were given a SmashBro Bear, named after the ever-friendly and hugprone Martin, to act as their reading companion and emotional support at home.
The partnership also benefits from book packages that Enrique Camarena students receive from donors to the coalition’s MAGnificent Book wish list on Amazon, Alonso-Garza said.
The collaborative effort is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month and is open to students between the seventh and 12th grades.
“We were overjoyed with the success of this first program,” Legaspi said.
The program build on a series of similar library programs aimed at local youth. Previously, the library had offered a STEP (Skills for Teen Parents) program that consisted of weekly workshops on various topics to help teen parents become the best parents they could be.
Partners for that program included the Friends of the Library, El Centro Fire Department, Imperial County Public Health Department, Imperial County Free Library, Center for Family Solutions and the University of California, San Diego.