Explore Art and Climate Change with the Teen Civics Ambassadors

Elvis Prempeh is a Teen Civics Ambassador employed at the Woodstock Library. Teen Civics Ambassadors are 10th–12th grade students who work at NYPL Teen Centers across the city. Ambassadors create fun, exciting events, and resources for other teens encouraging them to become active participants in their communities.

Teen Civics Ambassadors encourage teens to become active participants in and around their community. However, in order to help other teens become active participants in their community, we must learn how we can make this impact. 

To help us do this, we visited the Asia Society and Museum and explored the COAL + ICE exhibition. Located on the Upper East Side, the Asia Society is dedicated to identifying and helping propose solutions to the problems that plague Asia and the rest of the world. These problems and solutions are addressed through gatherings of leading thinkers in all fields, discussions, lectures, networking events, exhibitions and more. The Society prides itself on creating solutions that promote freedom, peace, prosperity, equality, and sustainability. 

The COAL + ICE exhibition highlights the environmental and human effects of climate change throughout Asia and the rest of the world primarily through photography and videography. These photographs and videos were taken and shot all around the world. However, they exhibit similar, if not the same, images globally. This was done purposefully to show that these environmental problems have a uniform effect on us no matter which corner of the planet we call home. The exhibition also highlights the history of climate change and its effect on our day-to-day life—from images of Chinese miners working in dire conditions in the early 2000s and unknowingly contributing to their worsening environment to videos of the New York City subway system, which transports 3.6 million people daily, flooded during a storm as a result of a worsening climate. 

One of the highlights of the exhibit was seeing a display of New York City immersed in a thick red smog, like it was during the Canadian wildfires, contrasted with a display of a sustainable New York City. This display gave me hope as it showed me that a sustainable world is possible. Seeing this exhibit provided an incentive to change my personal habits that aren't necessarily sustainable and work on helping save our future. Although this change in habit may be very minuscule in the grand scheme of the issue, it makes me feel as if I’m doing my part. Teens have a lot to explore and learn from the Asia Society.

Here are some additional thoughts on the Asia Society from my fellow Ambassadors:

“The Asia Society is the perfect place for teens to begin advocating for their planet as it provides a more personal perspective of how people across the world are affected by climate change.”  —Zaynab Begum, Parkchester Library

“The Asia Society is a treasure of a place to visit. It holds tales of the past and visions of the future. The world we love isn’t felt the same globally. The museum illustrates the pending doom that society could go through and showcase lives beyond ours.” —Bryan Zhao, Chatham Square Library

“Every teen should know that the Asia Society is FREE on Fridays! This allows for a very immersive and knowledgeable experience.” —Melida Tosic, Harlem Library

“The Asia Society offers a great amount of information on the climate crisis. The focus on the flooding problem in Southeast Asia really shows just how severe global warming is and how the world really needs the future generation’s help.” —Condoleezza Christian, Macomb’s Bridge Library 

“Teens should know that the Asia Society is a museum exhibit, free for teens 16 and under. Teens should know that the Asia Society may be focused on Asia, but it shows how climate change affects everyone around the world and what we can do as a collective to save the Earth.” —Halimat Mohammed, Mott Haven Library

New York City has so many museums and cultural institutions you can visit to expand your mind. But, did you know you could visit them for free by using your library card? The Culture Pass program gives cardholding teens and adults 13 years and older free admission to participating museums. Cardholders can reserve a pass and gain free admission to tons of museums, cultural institutions, heritage centers, public gardens, and more.