A number of The Hub bloggers attended YALSA’s awesome YA Services Symposium in Portland over the weekend. There were so many great sessions and authors there. In case you couldn’t attend the Symposium or missed this pre-conference session, here are some of the highlights compiled by Hub bloggers Carly Pansulla and Sharon Rawlins from Friday morning’s program called “Supporting Youth Learning Through Building Sustainable Partnerships.” All of the presenters were generous and detailed in sharing their experiences of partnering with outside organizations to better serve the young adults in their communities.

For those of us who enjoy a good checklist, Amy Twito, Informal Learning Program Manager from Seattle Public Library, offered us a list comparing establishing good community partners to finding romantic partners. She advised us all that the same guidelines can lead to success in both arenas:
*Know what you want out of a partner – What are the library’s goals for this relationship? What are the partner organization’s goals? Is the library looking for specific resources or expertise? Is the partner organization? Are these goals and expectations compatible?
*Learn from past mistakes
*partnerships can be uncomfortable, messy and awkward…(ditch the comfort zone)
*communication, communication, communication ALL THE TIME (don’t assume anything)
*1st rule of partnering: be a good partner
*it’s all about the balance (don’t need to continue with partner forever if things go off the rails)
*everything is harder & takes longer than you think it will (trust your intuition)
Especially if it’s an important project & if it’s new
*don’t be a pushover – maintain your own identity
*have fun, learn & grow! (relax & be ready for everything)
Continue reading 2015 Young Adult Services Symposium – Supporting Youth Learning Through Building Sustainable Partnerships