The Freedom to Read Teen Ambassador program offers teens (ages 16–19) a space to advocate for intellectual freedom, fight censorship and book bans, and much more.
Participants will learn how to:
- Fight censorship through civic engagement in their schools, libraries and communities
- Defend and extend intellectual freedom
- Provide feedback on programming related to BPL’s Books Unbanned initiative
- Meet authors, librarians, their peers, and others with experience combatting censorship.
Why Join?
- Learn how to be an effective intellectual freedom advocate in your local community.
- Earn a certificate, a recommendation letter, and resume-boosting experience.
- Support your peers nationwide in the fight for the freedom to read.
- Earn a stipend for completing 40 hours.
Responsibilities
Freedom to Read Teen Ambassadors meet in person every Tuesday from 5 - 6:30 pm at the Central Library. They also attend once a month virtual Intellectual Freedom Teen Meetups.
- Designing a Freedom to Read campaign to support teens facing censorship issues.
- Deciding on speakers and topics for future Intellectual Freedom Teen Meetups.
- Creating media about fighting censorship to be shared with teens nationwide.
How to Join
Complete the Freedom to Read Ambassador application below. Questions? Send an email to Emma Karin Eriksson at eeriksson@bklynlibrary.org
Acknowledgements
The Freedom to Read Teen Ambassadors program is made possible through support by The Long Ridge Foundation and The Destina Foundation.
What Else?
BPL also offers a monthly Intellectual Freedom Teen Meetup on the third Tuesday of each month that anyone can attend!