Teen Civics Ambassadors at The New York Public Library
A Tisch Youth Education Program
The New York Public Library’s Teen Civics Ambassadors program offers internships to teens to help develop job readiness and leadership skills, with a focus on library resources, civics, and peer-to-peer engagement. Get paid to create fun, exciting events and resources at the Library for other teens, and encourage your peers to learn about and become active participants in your communities.
Note: The application period to be a Teen Civics Ambassador is currently closed. Occasionally positions become available throughout the year and will be posted on NYPL's Careers page.
As a Teen Civics Ambassador, you will:
- Create fun, exciting events and resources for teens
- Engage peers in learning about civics and how to be involved in the community
- Attend training and other special opportunities
- Get paid for your time—plus, you can add your experience to your resume or college application!
Fun, Free Events for Teens
Through May 15 | Various Locations
Our Teen Civics Ambassadors are hosting fun events for teens in partnership with YA librarians at NYPL branches. Come make art, garden, and more while learning about how you can make a difference in your community.
Learn More About the Library from Teens!
Hear from Teen Civics Ambassadors about how they use the Library.
Call to Action Series
Our recent cohort of Teen Civics Ambassadors worked in small groups over the summer to identify issues in their communities, research possible solutions, and present them to local officials. Learn more about their projects via our Call to Action blog series!
Reading Recommendations from the Teen Civics Ambassadors
Explore books for teens recommended by the Teen Civics Ambassadors!
Other Online Resources for Teens about Civics
- Protect the freedom to read by joining NYPL’s Teen Banned Book Club and finding other ways to take action (NYPL)
- Register or pre-register to vote (NYC Votes)
- Find out who represents you (CUNY Graduate Center)
- Read up on your rights as a New Yorker and specifically your health care rights (ACLU of New York)
- Read up on your rights as a student (ACLU)
- Help decide how NYC spends its money with participatory budgeting (NYC Civic Engagement Commission)
- Join a civics-focused youth program or fellowship (YVote)
- Listen to The Round Table, a civics-focused podcast by teens and for teens (Next Gen Politics)
- Join a student-led organization working for educational equity in NYC (Teens Take Charge)
- Explore issues like environmental racism, gentrification, and mental health and wellness in NYPL’s archives through the #SchomburgSyllabus (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture)
- Visit the Activist New York exhibit (Museum of the City of New York)
- Explore NYC's Youth Civic Hub (Youth Civic Hub)
- Learn about your local community board (NYC Community Affairs Unit)
Civics at The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library plays a leading role in fostering civic engagement and community participation. By enabling community members of all backgrounds to engage with ideas, and with each other, NYPL’s shared community spaces, programs, and collections bring the principle of “We the People” to vibrant life.
More for Teens at the Library
Discover all that the Library has to offer, including free one-on-one homework help, events and programs, volunteer and paid opportunities, book recommendations, free resources, and more just for teens.
Teen Voices
At The New York Public Library, we believe that what you have to say matters. Our magazine Teen Voices is written by teens for teens. Read it online now—and look out for copies in your local branch!
Teen Reading Ambassadors
Teen Reading Ambassadors act as leaders and role models to younger kids, ambassadors for the Library's mission to inspire a lifelong love of reading and learning, and writers and editors of their very own magazine.
College & Career Pathways
Whether you're working on college applications or trying to figure out what career is best for you, The New York Public Library is here for you with resources, individual counseling, college and career prep workshops, and programs to help you take the next big step.
The Teen Civics Ambassadors program is made possible by the generous support of The Gottesman Fund and Carnegie Corporation of New York.
These programs and initiatives are part of the Library’s Tisch Youth Education Programs, led by the Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education. Major support for educational programming is provided by Merryl H. and James S. Tisch.
Major support for children's and young adult programming is provided by the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Family Endowment for Young Audiences.
Lead support for Teens 360º is provided by the City of New York.
Additional support is provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), the Best Buy Foundation and the Joly Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Evan R. Chesler, Google.org, Michael ByungJu Kim and the MBK Educational Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and J.Crew.
College & Career Pathways has been made possible thanks to the generous support of The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation.