The Nourishing Minds Framework, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and with support from The Seattle Public Library Foundation, is a comprehensive approach designed to support teen mental health through three foundational pillars: brave spaces, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) principles, and co-design. These pillars create environments where teens can explore mental health topics meaningfully, discover resonant tools and feel empowered to take charge of their well-being.
SPL tested the toolkit at eight library systems over a three-year period.
"Nourishing Minds provided our small, rural library with the tools and resources necessary to build a lasting foundation of mental health awareness for our teens,” said Melanie Warga, Director of Ohio County Public Library in Hartford, Kentucky, one of the libraries that tested it. “This program allowed us to see teen mental health in a new light, helping us to focus on breaking the stigmas surrounding mental health discussions and providing a framework for future programming.”
Nourishing Minds’ goals align closely with the values shared by other libraries, especially when it comes to supporting teens. They include:
Creating brave spaces to foster creativity
Normalizing mental well-being conversations
Harnessing the power of co-design for discovery and personal growth
The final Nourishing Minds toolkit includes:
- Quick Start Guide: A concise overview of the framework and how to get started.
- 88-Page Cookbook: A robust guide to planning and facilitating the program that includes detailed principles, mission, tools and session plans for implementation.
- Nourishing Minds Card Deck: The 103 vibrantly designed cards are the heart of the program, each with a prompt or activity for teens to discuss and reflect on.
- Card Placemat: Library staff can use the placemat to organize the cards for planning a session.
A session on Persona Building is an example of a full program created using “recipes” from the cookbook and card deck. This session is a creative, co-designed program that empowers teens to explore emotional regulation by developing fictional characters that reflect diverse experiences. Through collaborative activities and guided reflection, teens build empathy, identify emotions and gain practical tools for supporting their mental health.
Create an innovative and supportive environment for teens at your library. Download the planning toolkit and begin planning sessions with teens using cookbook recipes. Learn more at https://nourishing-minds.org/.
More information:
The toolkit was tested thoroughly over three years with eight library systems:
City of Burlington Public Library, Wisconsin
Charles County Public Library, Maryland
Deschutes Public Library, Oregon
Fort Lee Public Library, New Jersey
Meridian Library District, Idaho
Morton Mandan Public Library, North Dakota
Ohio County Public Library, Kentucky
The Seattle Public Library, Washington
Undergraduate interns from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) at the University of Washington and Howard University assisted with Nourishing Minds. Dr. Elin Bjorling and Dr. Jin Ha Lee of the University of Washington were co-principal investigators on the project.