Using Teen Volunteers at Teen Programs

The annual Harry Potter Yule Ball is always a really fun event. Salt Lake County Library Services hosts around 1500 teens every year—mostly Potterheads, teens who live and breathe the Harry Potter fandom. But there are also a number of teens who have little or no knowledge of Harry Potter who show up to dance, make crafts, play games, and have a great time with their friends.

This year we had a unique group of teens attend the Yule Ball: teen volunteers. Not just any teen volunteers. These Jr High and High School students were fully invested in the event from the earliest planning stages. They created decorations, helped direct crowds, and even staged a Death-eater flashmob. For Alle, Stephanie, Lyssa, Avalon, and Lauren, being at the Yule Ball meant more than just spending a night out—it was a chance to see their ideas and hard work come to life. Spring Lavallee, the teen librarian from Magna Library, directed them.

Lyssa described the amount of work that went into volunteering for the Yule Ball: “We had three or four meeting starting in November, December, and January.” Teen volunteers committed to about 10 hours of unpaid work per person, over 50 hours for the entire group. During the pre-event meetings, they discussed which decorations they wanted to make, eventually committing to designing and creating a 7 foot tall “Flue Network” fireplace, the entrance to the Diagon Alley part of the ball. The teens researched materials and construction, and eventually built their creation, which took 4 hours total to put together. They also built 20 giant 3D snowflakes, hanging decorations for the dance itself.

Stephanie’s favorite part, though, was participating in the Death-eater flash mob. At precisely 9 pm, the Death-eater mark appeared on screen in the ballroom and the music switched to an eerie, spooky soundtrack. A group of Death-eaters (5 teen volunteers, several disguised librarians, and a few volunteer cosplayers) then attacked the crowd, pointing their wands and shouting curses. Luckily, the brawl only lasted a few, tense minutes.  Cosplayers from the Order of the Phoenix (including Mad Eye Moody and Remus Lupin) cornered the Death-eaters, forced them to surrender, and marched them from the ballroom. The teen volunteers were an integral part of this spectacle, planning the choreography and working closely with the Harry Potter cosplay group, Rocky Mountain Muggles, to accomplish the flashmob. The other teens surrounded the flash mob, shouting “Fight, fight!” and cheered when the Death-eaters were captured. Moody and Lupin were routinely congratulated on their catch for the rest of the night.

The teen volunteers also helped at the event, directing crowds through the Diagon Alley, taking pictures, and cleaning up afterward. Alle summed up the experience: “It was really fun. I got to know some great  new people. Everyone was really nice.” For the teen volunteers, the Yule Ball was as much a social experience as it was a volunteer opportunity. The group got to know new people, outside their regular neighborhood and school circles. They built relationships based on mutual interests, trust, and dependability. And in the end, the Yule Ball was about more than just living their fandom for one night; it was a hard-earned dream come true!

Thank you to the 2015 Yule Ball teen volunteers Alle, Stephanie, Lyssa, Avalon, and Lauren, and to those teens volunteers who could not make it the night of the ball, Carlos, Gordon, Andrea, and Taylor!

 

Submitted by S. Lavallee

Teen Librarian

Magna Library (Salt Lake County Library Services)