Mayor Linnsie Clark cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of the new teen space, The Honeycomb House, at the Medicine Hat Public Library this past Saturday afternoon.--NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
A collection of teens and community members were witness to the grand opening of The Honeycomb House at the Medicine Hat Public Library this past Saturday.
Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright, Mayor Linnsie Clark, Couns. Ramona Robins and Alison Van Dyke, as well as Chamber of Commerce executive director Lisa Kowalchuk, all spoke at the grand opening. The teens were all past and present members of TIC TAC, (teens initiating change together and committed), a teen volunteer group at MHPL that was instrumental in creating the new space.
“Why a cool room for teens in our library?” said chief Librarian Ken Feser. “Books, information and knowledge are still important, but I think community building is one of the most important things we do. Social isolation and loneliness has been increasing for a long time. The problem has been getting worse with alienation and social divisions pulling us apart.
“We need places where we can come together to bridge social divides. Nowhere is this more challenging than with youth today.”
Youth need options, connections and safe spaces and this is where a teen space a MHPL can help.
He handed the microphone over to youth and community librarian Stephanie Kuhn who explained why the space was named The Honeycomb House. A honeycomb is a structure that brings together individual cells to create an intricate and strong structure.
“Similarly, the space is designed to be a gathering space, a hub where individuality thrives and collective experiences are shared.”
The other speakers talked about how valuable the library is to them personally and to the community as a whole. Once the ribbon was cut, there was a free barbecue out on the lawn and activities for those gathered to partake in.
