Source: United States Navy
After the recent success of their Escape Room, the staff received several requests from community members to host it as a special event.
One request was for the youth of families attached to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84). This event was the first youth-focused event coordinated by Paul Ignatius’ Family Support Group (FSG).
One Friday evening in late February, the teens gathered to solve clues to “escape” the library. The clues for the event were created by library employee, Janell Selvera, who has continued to update and tweak the event.
“The hardest part is getting everything to flow,” said Selvera. “After seeing everyone complete the escape room, I can see where it didn’t flow and make adjustments.”
With this youth event being the fourth iteration of the event, Selvera has had the opportunity to modify the clues to increase flow and reduce potential spoilers. She also received some tips from her brother-in-law who has created several escape rooms in Japan.
Selvera’s husband, Mike Selvera, read the introduction and rules at the library door before turning the six teens, aged 12-18, loose in the library.
Vanessa Stein, a member of Paul Ignatius FSG, was the coordinator of this event. She saw it advertised at the library and thought it would be a fun activity for the youth. She approached the library staff to see if they would host a special escape room.
“I wanted to create a youth event for our FSG Paul Ignatius Youth Club to give them an opportunity to make connections to other teenagers from our ship in their age group,” said Stein. “Military life can be hard on them since they have to move from one place to another a lot and have to leave friends behind every time.”
The library staff was more than happy to accommodate in supporting the FSG and their youth. The staff also held a special one for Rota Girl Scouts. Both events were well-received by the groups and the library plans to continue it as a regular program offering.
Selvera finds satisfaction in seeing the community come out and work together to solve the problems.
“My favorite part is watching people work through the escape room,” said Selvera. “I like seeing how their mind thinks and every group has solved it a little differently.”
MWR Library provides scheduled youth programs such as weekly story time, special events, summer reading program, and more. The Library is hosting additional Escape Room events throughout the month of May (5/12/19; 6-7 p.m.) as well as developing a new one geared towards younger youth for the fall.
For more information on upcoming library events, pick up a copy of the Vamos magazine or call the library at DSN 727-2418 or commercial, +34 956-82-2418.