A Teen & Tween Yoga class takes place from 10-11 a.m. Friday at North School Park in Arlington Heights, but it’s not just the Arlington Heights Park District that’s behind it. The class is sponsored by the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, in partnership with the park district, in the latest of a series of their innovative offerings.
Tweens listen to instructor Lynn Minuskin
Friday’s yoga class is an introductory level class, covering basic stretches and postures, but its benefits go beyond that, library officials say. Find registration here.
“The program gives tweens and teens a chance to move their bodies, but it also focuses on mindfulness and self-awareness,” says William Tolan, a communications and marketing specialist with the library. “These skills give all of the participants tools to find calm in their lives and cope with stressful situations.”
Turns out the Teen & Tween Yoga started seven years ago and has become so popular that it has expanded to multiple sessions over the last few years. It’s a companion to the Yoga in the Park, at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum Campus, for adults.
Sprout Squad works in the Viatorian garden.
Jennifer Czajka, programs and exhibits manager, describes the library’s mission as fulfilling the knowledge, information, enrichment, entertainment and cultural needs of the community. Consequently, they try to provide a wide variety of programs which reach people of all ages, backgrounds and interests.
Past programs the library has sponsored — in partnership with the park district — includes soccer, tennis, golf and even a pickleball clinic in 2023. But outdoor yoga remains popular.
“We have many participants who started attending as tweens and have continued on now that they are teens,” Tolan adds. “We partnered with the Park District initially to have one of their yoga instructors, Lynn Minuskin, lead the program. Lynn has since retired from the Park District, but she has continued to be our instructor.
“We have offered yoga indoors in the winter and at other times of the year, but the outdoor yoga has been the most popular,” he adds. “The Park District has been a great partner in giving us a serene setting at North School Park to offer the program.”
Library officials actively work to engage the teen and tween age group. They also offer several volunteer options, such as the Sprout Squad, which works in a raised garden bed on the grounds of the Viatorian Province Center in Arlington Heights. As one of 25 plots in the Viatorian Community Giving Garden, teens and library volunteers raise fresh vegetables for the Wheeling Township Food Pantry.
Young volunteers make fleece beds for animals in foster care at Placing Paws.
The library also offers Tween Advisory Group for grades 4-6, Middle School Volunteer Panel for grades 7-8, and Teen Advisory Board for grades 9-12. These groups meet monthly to collaborate on service projects to maximize community impact, Tolan says.
A few recent projects included making fleece beds for animals in foster care at Placing Paws, sewing scent hearts for NICU babies through Project Sweet Peas and making Thanksgiving placemats for Meals on Wheels recipients.
“Tween programs provide opportunities to try out new interests while practicing independence, building positive identity and having fun with peers,” Tolan says. “And many of our teen programs are focused on supporting teens at a time of great academic and personal growth.”
Other News:
