Volunteer Opportunities for Teens!
Reading Buddies at Tilbury Branch
Reading Buddies offers one-on-one help to children in grades 1 to 6. Volunteers spend 30 minutes engaging their buddy with literacy-based games and high-interest readers to create a positive relationship with books and a love of reading. If you are 16 or older and interested in sharing your love of reading, please contact the Tilbury Branch at 519-682-0100. Accepting volunterers who can read English or French.
To become a volunteer, applicants must complete a volunteer application package. Volunteers under the age of 18 are exempt from police clearance.
September
Bookmark Weaving - Chatham Branch
Saturday, September 19 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Stop by and learn how to weave your own yarn bookmark! No experience needed and all materials provided. Just drop in and get crafty!
October
DIY Lip Balm - Chatham Branch
Saturday, October 17 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Join us to make lip balm with the following ingredients: coconut oil, petroleum jelly, essential oil, and Revlon lipstick (a different shade from last fall). Great for ages 10 to 18. Registration is required. Please call 519-354-2940 or email cklibrary@chatham-kent.ca to register.
Book Bedazzling - Tilbury Branch
Thursday, October 22 at 6:00 pm
Join library staff to bedazzle a book cover with your own unique, artistic flair! Please bring your own book. Registration required. Please call Tilbury Branch at 519-682-0100 to register.
November
Cards for a Cause - Available at all CKPL branches!
Dear Teens, You're invited to any CKPL branch in November to create cards and send positive messages to seniors in your community, all while earning volunteer hours for a great cause! Every card made will be distributed through local organizations. Thank you for participating! - CKPL
For ages 12 to 18. A school approved document is required to sign. For more information, please email cklibrary@chatham-kent.ca.
Book Bedazzling - Wheatley Branch
Thursday, November 12 at 6:00 pm
Join library staff to bedazzle a book cover with your own unique, artistic flair! Please bring your own book. Registration required. Please call Wheatley Branch at 519-825-7131 to register.
DIY Perfume & Cologne Workshop - Chatham BranchSaturaday, November 14 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Discover the art of natural fragrance making! Create your own roll-on perfume or cologne using essential oils and other natural ingredients. Registration is required. Please call 519-354-2940 or email cklibrary@chatham-kent.ca to register.
December
December Mystery Bag - Available to all CK teens!
Register, check out, and receive a mystery bag for the month! The bag will include a book, a movie, and a little surprise! You can keep the craft and the surprise, but the book and movie must be returned in January. A due date slip will be included. To register, please call 519-354-2940 or email cklibrary@chatham-kent.ca. Registration will start in November.
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For more teen programs, please visit www.ckpl.ca/ProgramCalendar!
Other Programs
Clash of the Classrooms
Join the Clash of the Classrooms challenge from February to March! Homeschool, elementary, and secondary school classes and libraries are invited to participate in the Clash of the Classrooms Reading Challenge in partnership with Lambton County Library. This presents an excellent opportunity to cultivate collaboration and a passion for reading among students in the classroom. For more information and to share the program within your school, please refer to the Clash of the Classrooms .pdf documents. Flyers are available in English and French.
Register for Clash of the Classrooms!
Teen Advisory Group (TAG)
The Teen Advisory Group provides an opportunity for individuals aged 12 to 18 to accumulate community service hours while contributing their input on library programs and services tailored for tweens and teens.
Teens aged 12 to 13 may join the Teen Advisory Group; however, they are unable to engage in other CKPL volunteer initiatives until they reach the age of 14. Individuals who are 14 years old and older are eligible to take part in other volunteer opportunities, provided that such opportunities are available.
TAG meetings will take place in person at the Chatham Branch - Board Room, with an online option available for those unable to attend in person. They will meet four times a year on the third Tuesday of October, January, April, and June, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Volunteers may take part for a maximum of three terms. Members are required to provide school board approved documents to record their volunteer hours. Selected volunteers will need to fill out a volunteer package prior to beginning their service. For individuals aged 18 and above, a police background check is mandatory.
For questions, please email cklibrary@chatham-kent.ca.
TAG Application.pdf
Teen Advisory Group Guidelines.pdf
Teen Art Contest
Are you 12 to 18 and passionate about creating art? If so, gear up for our 2026 Teen Art Contest! Four winners will be chosen, one for each category. This year's theme is 'Imagination.' The categories are Painting, Drawing, Photography, and Mixed Media.
For more information, here are the guidelines:
- This is for teens aged 12 to 18.
- Participants must live in or attend school in Chatham-Kent.
- Applications can be submitted from March 1 to May 26, and winners will be revealed by the end of June.
- All artwork must be digitized (.jpg or .png file) and emailed to cklibrary@chatham-kent.ca, along with a completed application form.
Applications are available at all Chatham-Kent Public Library branches, or you can download the application here:
2026 Teen Art Contest Application.pdf
Trivia Night
Join us every Wednesday for virtual Trivia Night! Each week we'll post a new Trivia Night game on CKPL's Facebook page. The game will be available from 6:00 pm until midnight. To join the fun, simply click the link in our Facebook post, pick a nickname, and dive into the game. Don't forget to check back the next day to see how everyone scored!
Teen Online Resources
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Brainfuse - Brainfuse Homework Help offers a comprehensive suite of online academic services designed to support many learning needs and styles including live tutoring, skills-building, 24/7 Help Center, writing lab, and more!
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Canadian Encyclopedia, Home | The Canadian Encyclopedia - The Canadian Encyclopedia is a resource with more than 25,000 articles that provides accurate and up-to-date information about Canada and Canadians.
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Candian Points of View, Canadian Points of View - This is a full-text database designed to provide students with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. The database provides information on 100 key topics of interest to Canadian researchers.
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Creativebug - Creativebug is an arts & crafts resource that provides instructor led videos for beginners to expert level makers. Users have an all-access, no-boundaries pass to explore 1,000+ classes.
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G1 - Your online Driver Education program contains the following ON-specific information: - 6 G1 practice tests for cars, 1 M1 practice test for motorcycles - 1 G1 test simulator (cars), 1 M1 test simulator (motorcycle) - An FAQ section with detailed answers to 100+ MTO-related questions
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Hoopla - A streaming service of ebooks, audiobooks, music, movies, and TV shows that can be enjoyed on your computer, tablet, or phone.
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Kanopy - Classic films, world cinema, documentaries and popular movies available for on-demand streaming.
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Libby by Overdrive - Libby provides a collection of ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. All you need is the Internet and your library card! Enjoy titles immediately online, or download them for offline use. All titles automatically expire so no overdue fines!
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NoveList Plus - You can search thousands of popular fiction and non-fiction titles, retrieve author-read-alikes, book lists, book discussion guides and recommended reads and more. NoveList Plus is a complete readers' resource.
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PressReader, Catalog of 7000+ Online Newspapers & Magazines - PressReader - PressReader gives you same day access to newspapers and magazines from around the world in full colour, full page format and available in over 60 languages. With PressReader you can hold an enhanced digital replica of your favourite publication and read it cover to cover.
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World Book, Super Home Page - A comprehensive suite of e-learning resources designed for all ages and abilities with articles, videos, educator tools, ebooks, research guides and more.