Mix IT Up! Youth Advocacy Librarianship

Mix IT Up! Youth Advocacy Librarianship focuses on creating intentionally structured, youth­-centered, engaged learning opportunities related to information technologies. Mix IT Up! enhances youth services by developing a library and information science (LIS) specialization that dovetails with community informatics and youth service in order to focus on systematically training librarians as youth advocates. Mix IT Up! actively recruits youth advocacy fellows from traditionally underrepresented groups in LIS - American Indian, Latino/a, African American, and working­ class - by providing academic and financial support. Fellows are placed in long-term youth advocacy projects that partner with community organizations serving youth. Fellows also engage with selected community affiliates and organizational participants in the Youth Advocacy Alliance (YAA). The alliance will: gain the services of emerging information professionals, including those from underrepresented groups; have the opportunity to apply for small amounts of funding in support of particular projects and/or travel; and be able to provide the youth in their organization rich opportunities for community engagement.