Pasadena Public Library Receives Civic Learning Grant for Young Adults

The Pasadena Public Library announced Wednesday that it received a $15,000 grant as part of the Civic Makers Lab for Adults initiative from the Urban Libraries Council (ULC), North America’s leading nonprofit for urban libraries. The library is one of 10 libraries nationwide to receive the grant. The Civic Makers Lab for Adults is a program that equips librarians to serve as civic learning facilitators and empowers young adults ages 18-24 to be active contributors to their communities.

The program will help young adults acquire civic knowledge and skills through action, harnessing experiential learning methods that will help them build new pathways rooted in curiosity, connection, and problem-solving, rather than partisanship. The project helps future civic leaders gain skills, hands-on leadership experience, and a stronger sense of belonging.

“Civic education for young adults is more important than ever,” said Tim McDonald, Director of the Pasadena Public Library. “We have a talented, intelligent, and motivated population of young people in Pasadena who are ready to contribute to their community, but many feel discouraged by deep political division, misinformation and diminished trust in government. We seek to confront these challenges by fostering civic knowledge, skills and dispositions that support young people’s participation in a healthy democracy.”

“It’s more important than ever for our young leaders to see libraries as safe, inclusive spaces where they can dream, explore, and ask questions. That’s how we help create the community leaders of tomorrow,” added Brooks Rainwater, President & CEO of the Urban Libraries Council. “At a moment when civic education is often politicized, or nonexistent, libraries can play a defining role in strengthening civic health through hands-on, real-world learning.”

The library will use the grant to implement young adult civic learning experiences such as simulations, community design challenges, project-based civic action, and civic awareness campaigns, including a small pilot project and a larger project.

ULC drives cutting-edge research and strategic partnerships to elevate the power of libraries as essential, transformative institutions for the 21st century. They identify significant challenges facing today’s communities and develop new tools and techniques to help libraries achieve stronger outcomes in education, workforce and economic development, digital equity and race and social equity.

For more information about the Pasadena Public Library, visit PasadenaPublicLibrary.net.