Library Takeover Event Gives Parents the Opportunity to Network, Share and Connect

MADISON, WI – Parents of school-aged kids are invited to bring their little ones and engage in conversation with other local parents at Pinney Library on Friday, April 21 from 5:30-7:30PM. Kids and parents will enjoy a dinner together before breaking off into separate groups where the kids will be occupied by crafts, making and activities while the parents join small-group discussions in both English and Spanish. The event is being planned by a small group of parents from Nuestro Mundo Community School as part of Madison Public Library’s Library Takeover program.

“Our team was thrilled to be selected for the Library Takeover program,” said team member Ashley Inda. “We will be hosting our event at Pinney Library, where we will come together to share ideas and resources on a variety of topics that are meaningful and important to our community. We have thoroughly enjoyed all the training and information provided by the staff at Madison Public Library to ensure our event is successful.”

The discussion portion of the event will be done using an open facilitation method, which allows for interactive, inclusive and dynamic conversations. With open facilitation, no single person is the expert, and parents are free to move from group to group throughout the event. In fact, even the small group topics are chosen by the parents themselves when they register for the event. The goal is to form new relationships, share advice and parenting tips, and learn from fellow parents about topics relevant to them.

“As parents, we have lots of ideas, questions and best practices to share and discuss. But we also know our conversations can be relegated to brief or superficial chats, often interrupted by kids just as we get to know someone,” said Aaron Seligman, another team member and Nuestro Mundo parent. “Our goal is to provide a space where parents can connect on topics that really matter to them. Doing it at Pinney is a perfect fit since our school (Nuestro Mundo) is moving soon to the Lake Edge Neighborhood.”

Event Timeline:

• 5:30PM: Dinner for parents and kids provided by Adamah.
• 6:15PM: Childcare providers will take the kids to play, read, or do arts and crafts activities while parents talk.
• 6:15-7:15PM: Engage in interactive, inclusive, and dynamic small group conversations both in English and Spanish on topics chosen by the group.

When the event is over, the group will send out idea lists to all attendees, so everyone can benefit from these collaborative discussions.

Registration is required. Sign up online at madpl.org/parentmeetup or directly via Eventbrite.

This event is made possible thanks to support from the Madison Public Library Foundation. This Library Takeover team was guided by their mentor for the program, Rob Franklin, who helped usher them through the process, shared their local contacts and connections, and lent their expertise to the team.

About Madison Public Library
Madison Public Library’s tradition of promoting education, literacy and community involvement has enriched the City of Madison for more than 145 years. Visit the library online at www.madisonpubliclibrary.org, madisonpubliclibrary on Facebook, @madisonlibrary on Twitter, or @madisonpubliclibrary on Instagram.

About Library Takeover
Library Takeover is an opportunity to support communities in making their ideas happen at the library. Every year, Madison Public Library opens its doors to three teams of 3-4 people who take their idea from the planning phase to execution. This year’s teams participated in a mini event-planning bootcamp in the fall of 2022, where they learned about everything from logistics, budgeting, permitting, marketing and more to help them prepare for their events. The experience culminates in a public event hosted in a library space in 2023. Two more Library Takeover events are set to take place this year.

Links

• library_takeover_parent_meetup_press_release.pdf
• Event Registration
• Landing Page
• About Library Takeover

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