Berkeley, CA, May 23, 2017 — Joining a network of colleagues across the country, the YOUmedia Learning Labs Network extends affiliate status to the youth program at the Norfolk Public Library, making the program the thirty-first lab in the YOUmedia Learning Labs Network.
The YOUmedia model was developed in 2011 with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Grounded in research that demonstrates how young people benefit from community-based learning opportunities to follow their interests with the support of peers and mentors, a network of libraries and museums worked together to create and expand programs that give them the time and space to create work that is meaningful to them. Ultimately, 30 institutions developed YOUmedia model programs, forming a national network of lead institutions. Norfolk Public Library is the first institution to be approved to join the network under its new affiliate program.
According to Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, Executive Director of the National Writing Project, a national non-profit that houses the YOUmedia Network, “YOUmedia Learning Labs are creative, transformative, and dynamic spaces that aim to put Connected Learning into action. Institutions that join the network are looking to be relevant, accessible, and central to the learning lives of teens in their areas.”
The YOUmedia Learning Labs Network, hosted at the National Writing Project, believes that access to high-quality educational experiences is a basic right of all learners and a cornerstone of equity. The Network works in partnership with institutions, organizations, and communities nationally to develop and sustain leadership for educational improvement. Read more about the network, the research behind the network, affiliate labs, and how to get involved in the network at youmedia.org.
Press contact:
K-Fai Steele
510-642-8636
youmedia@nwp.org
Through its mission, the National Writing Project (NWP) focuses the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our nation’s educators on sustained efforts to help youth become successful writers and learners. NWP supports a network of local Writing Project sites, located on nearly 200 university and college campuses, to provide high-quality professional development in schools, universities, libraries, museums, and after-school programs. Through its many successful programs and partnerships, the organization reaches 1.4 million Pre-K through college-age students in over 3,000 school districts annually. NWP envisions a future where every person is an accomplished writer, engaged learner, and active participant in a digital, interconnected world.
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