This award is to honour excellent library staff working with children or youth. The award can be given to an individual or group. It can be a service-based project, a unique program, a community partnership, an outreach endeavor or an advocacy effort that you feel should be recognized and celebrated.
We are very proud to honour Christy Giesler and the Kitchener Public Library for their Story Sheroes Program.
Story Sheroes helps girls better navigate their world through reading, writing, and creating art, poetry and stories. Story Sheroes encourages the exploration of meaningful topics in a safe environment, with the goal for each program to celebrate newfound awareness and creativity in a publication that is shared with the community. First offered in the fall of 2015 in partnership with the KW YWCA, Kitchener Public Library's Children's and Teen Collections Librarian Christy Giesler worked alongside staff from the KW YWCA to develop and deliver girl-positive creative programming, supported by access to the library's resources.
Story Sheroes was evaluated and celebrated as a tremendous success by parents and participants, helping young teen girls develop confidence and self-acceptance as they explore art and story telling. Now a Kitchener Public Library program, the successes continue, with nine consecutive programs filled to capacity, where girls discover their own identity and learn to express themselves more confidently.
