Memories of Water: Teen Voices on Climate
Queens Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Queens Public Library’s Podcasting for Teens workshop transforms middle and high school students from media consumers into digital creators by giving them the tools to interview, write, record, and produce an original podcast episode about the climate issues affecting their communities as part of “Memories of Water,” the fourth season of the Queens Memory Podcast. Developed through a collaboration between Queens Public Library’s Teen Services and the Library’s Queens Memory Project – an award-winning public history program now in its 16th year – this hands-on workshop builds digital media and climate literacy, storytelling skills, and public speaking confidence, while giving young people a platform to share their voices with a wider audience.
Challenge/Opportunity
Teens encounter digital media every day, but opportunities to develop the skills to meaningfully engage with and create media are not equally accessible. Podcast production can require specialized equipment, expensive software, technical know-how, and mentorship that may be out of reach for many young people.
Queens Public Library saw an opportunity to use the library’s existing resources and expertise to close this gap. By bringing together Teen Services and the Queens Memory Project, the library could introduce teens to public speaking, interviewing, writing for the ear, audio recording, and editing while connecting these skills to the climate issues affecting their communities. By building climate and digital literacy together, this interdisciplinary afterschool program empowers teens to investigate the issues that matter to them and contribute their perspectives to the broader record of community life in Queens.
Key Elements of Innovation
Designed to expand media literacy in the library’s Teen Center, this six-week afterschool program engages teens in interdisciplinary, project-based learning through podcast production. Teens progress from public speaking and interviewing to writing for the ear and editing while investigating local climate issues. At the halfway point, a climate activist visits the classroom for an hour-long interview guided by questions teens develop together during the first two sessions. Co-led by a podcast instructor and mentor, with support from the Flushing Teen Center Site Coordinator, teens then work in small groups to shape the interview into a professionally produced episode, culminating in a listening party.
Integrating digital, media, and climate literacy with peer and civic learning, the program transforms the library into a classroom, media lab, and platform for amplifying youth voices. It also offers a replicable approach for connecting hands-on learning with socially engaged storytelling
Achieved Outcomes
Across two pilot workshops at Flushing Library’s Teen Center, 10 of 20 enrolled teens completed the program, moving from little or no audio experience to publishing two podcast episodes over the course of two semesters. Success was measured through retention, episode completion, demonstrated skills in interviewing, scriptwriting, recording, editing, and participant feedback. The second episode reached 6,200+ plays in its first months, more than five times the first episode’s listenership.
The program strengthened collaboration between Teen Services and the Queens Memory Project and deepened partnerships with climate organizations like the Queens Botanical Garden and NYC Emergency Management. Its model has drawn professional interest, with staff invited to present at three library and STEM conferences, including the 2025 Urban Librarians Conference. The collaboration continues this fall with a new college essay writing and recording series at three branch locations across Queens.
