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663 teens and family members from diverse communities came out for Tempe Public Library’s Get Real, Get Fit! teen health events and left enthusiastic, armed with tools and knowledge for healthy lifestyles. 

The Library wanted to reach a diverse group of young people, beyond their usual teen users.  To achieve this notoriously challenging goal, the library engaged community partners, conducted a diverse youth outreach campaign, and employed teen volunteers to help put on the event, creating an especially teen-centered environment.  

The Get Real, Get Fit! health festivals consisted of booths staffed by health experts, community agencies, library staff, and teen leadership groups.  Activities included hula-hoop, Hackey Sack, sit-up and push-up contests and fitness drills.  Games about the food pyramid, fast-food choices and food labels promoted health literacy, while exercise goal planning and yoga and pilates demo classes got teens pumped about active lifestyles.  Teens filled out “Fitcheck” forms that could be submitted for a chance to win prizes, including a Dance Dance Revolution video game.  All participants walked away with goody-bags filled with health information, water bottles, CD cases, and magnetic poetry sets.

Perhaps the biggest reward was for the Library.  As word spread about the festivals, local businesses and health experts became eager to get involved with the program, providing various in-kind donations, including personal time to facilitate booths.

The festivals also provided new bridges to teens.  Librarians visited Tempe high schools to promote the festivals, often speaking with young people who had never set foot in the library.  To better reach diverse groups of young people, one Get Real, Get Fit! festival was held at the Escalante Community Recreational Center, turning out the largest number of teens of any of the events.  Many young people signed up to receive emails about upcoming Get Real, Get Fit! activities, and with each new festival that database has grown. 

Teens Stretch Together at Tempe Public

Library's Fit for Life Health Festival

Library Staff: Sarah Kaufman, Youth Services Librarian

Community Partners:

Whole Foods Market

Subway

Tempe Family YMCA

The Army National Guard

Weight Watchers

Maricopa County Community Nutrition Department

TGEN Genomics Research Institute

Community yoga and pilates instructors

Local Chiropractor

Skin care experts

City of Tempe Parks & Recreation Department

Escalante Community Recreational Center

Kiwanis Recreational Center

Tempe Teen Friends Group

Tempe Youth Leadership Group

Escelante Youth Leadership Group

To read about more successful Get Real, Get Fit! and Fit for Life programs, visit the Library Showcase Archives by clicking here!