This month, Brooklyn Public Library is hosting a range of programs to help Brooklynites with everything from financial planning and getting resumes in order, to teaching acting skills and holding bilingual storytime.
The library, which hosts nearly 60,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists and educators from Brooklyn and beyond, is kicking off the programming with Gen Z, Digitial Activism and the Future of Social Justice, a panel discussing what it means to be an activist today.
The event, being held on Jan. 19 at 6:30pm, will include Texas-based Gen Z activist Olivia Juliana who led the successful digital campaign against a website targeting Texans who had abortions; Nelson J. Luna, who co-founded Teens Take Charge as a NYC High School student; professor Moya Bailey of Northwestern University, co-author of #HashtagActivism and author of Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women’s Digital Resistance; and Kahlil Greene, dubbed “Gen Z Historian” for posts that dismantle white-based historical narratives, moderates.
The event is offered in connection with Center for Brooklyn History's Brooklyn Resists initiative. RSVP for the link.
Then on Jan. 12, the library will hold Resume and Career Help Live where business librarians will help dust off old resumes, polish cover letters and offer advice on making a strong first impression in a one-on-one session.
The event is being held from 12:00pm-2:00pm; you can sign up for an appointment here.
Also on Jan. 12, join Councilmember Shahana Hanif, who made history when she became the first Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council, for a conversation titled Growing up Muslim in Brooklyn, about her personal experiences that led her into public service.
Attendees will also get to hear excerpts from the oral history she contributed to the library’s Muslims in Brooklyn oral history project. Hanif will be joined by oral historian Zaheer Ali for a discussion of how public spaces shape who we are and how we begin to transform those spaces. The talk will take place at 4:00pm, RSVP for the link.
For those wanting to get into investing this year, the library is hostingStart Smart: Invest in Your Future, where journalists from Financial Planning magazine explain what financial advisors do, how they charge and how they can be useful to investors and those just starting out in the financial markets.
Learn the questions to ask an advisor before you hire them and what exactly a financial plan includes at the Jan. 19 talk. The event will be held at 3:00pm, RSVP for the link.
Then on Jan. 21, the library is holding an event perfect for all the teen and tween drama queens out there — Acting Out. The course is an introduction to acting improvisation and theatre and participants will play theatre games focusing on creativity, teamwork and problem solving. No experience is necessary for the session, which is being held at 4:00pm. RSVP for the link.
Throughout January, the library will be holding its Bilingual Storytime, where stories are read in English, Spanish, Urdu, Korean and Russian. Each session features a librarian leading interactive stories, songs and rhymes. See the schedule and register here for a link.
