Hey, Y.A.L.L.—Wellesley Free Library’s teen engagement takes center stage

For years, the Wellesley Free Library’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG) has been the driving force behind the library’s most popular events for its young patrons.TAG is the ultimate incubator for library fun. This flexible group, with a membership of both teens and tweens, focuses on sparking and steering library programming. TAG has helped launched hit events like Random Movie Night, the vocal showcase of Teen Karaoke, and the creative outlet of Paint and Sip. If you’ve enjoyed a library program tailored for youth, chances are TAG helped dream it up.

Now librarians have doubled down on teen power with the creation of another group—the Young Adult Leadership League (Y.A.L.L.). Specifically designed for high school students eager for deep, impactful community service, Y.A.L.L. will undertake long-term, focused volunteer projects to directly benefit the wider Wellesley community.

Their inaugural mission? The incredibly touching Book Bags for Newborns project, generously sponsored by the Wellesley Library Foundation.

“The students are putting in their valuable time to do research and help create designs that will result in donated book bags for new parents at Newton-Wellesley Hospital,” teen librarian Andy Yzaguirre said in an email.

While both programs empower the library’s young patrons, Y.A.L.L. was specifically established in response to a clear call from high schoolers themselves for a structured, community-oriented volunteer pathway, transforming their passion for service into tangible local impact.

Want to get involved? Email welteens@minlib.net