"Knowasis".... is the name that was selected by local teens for a special place to call their own at Civic Center Library. It is a welcoming space with books and resources, current technology tools and homework help from specially trained staff. By rearranging an area within the library's existing walls, we are creating an appealing place for teens to study alone or share ideas with their friends. Thanks to a generous donation from The Thunderbirds, its official name is "Knowasis - Thunderbirds Charities Teen Learning Center."

Teen Benefits

• Promotes reading and provide support for educational success
• Provides after school activities and programs
• Supports social interaction in a safe environment
• Provides personal mentoring and vocational guidance

Community Benefits

• Helps alleviate problems with unsupervised blocks of time and having teens come home to an empty house
• Teens engaged in positive after school activities are more likely to stay in school and stay off drugs
• Encourages teens to develop into functioning adults who contribute to society

Knowasis is a privately funded project. Friends of the Scottsdale Library took on the challenge of raising funds for the Teen Learning Center, and we have reached our goal —$576,000.

The Stock Market Game
How do young people learn about the stock market and investing for their future? Most young people don't ever really learn about it. In a world where the media advertises debt relief clearing houses, it is time to equip the next generation with the knowledge and confidence to build a financially independent life. 

The idea behind the nationwide program called The Stock Market Game teaches just that. The Stock Market Game is taught in many Scottsdale Public Schools. The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library wanted to offer the program over the summer, and possibly continue it through the year. 

The Stock Market Game gives kids a mythical $100,000 portfolio of cash at the beginning of an eight-week program. This very realistic program gives the kids a chance to learn about stocks and bonds and how they affect their portfolios. Kingston Raycraft, the coordinator of the game in our area, provided us with all the tools we needed to get underway. Our current Friends President Craig Miller, a Senior Financial Consultant with Merrill Lynch in Scottsdale, introduced this game in the newly created Knowasis Teen Learning Center at the Civic Center Library. Every Tuesday at 4 pm he leads a great group of about 30 teenagers into the wide world of financial understanding. Craig has incorporated material from Merrill Lynch's financial literacy program, Investing Pays Off, into the weekly sessions.

With combination of healthy fun competition (with prizes to the winners) and the basic financial literacy material provided by Craig and Merrill Lynch, the teens have a very rewarding way to spend some time in the library while learning valuable lessons about the future. This is the vision that compelled all of us to create the Teen Center in the first place.