From Climate Anxiety to Climate Activism: Teen-Led Literature Initiative

Project Summary

A 15-year-old South Korean student living in Louisiana developed innovative climate engagement strategies by connecting literature with environmental activism, organizing a climate-fiction book club at her local library and publishing a newspaper article about reframing climate challenges as opportunities to listen to the natural world.

Detailed Story

Siyeon, a 15-year-old South Korean native living in Lafayette, Louisiana, transformed her climate anxiety into meaningful action during the pandemic. As a TCI Ambassador, she tackled the challenge of making the abstract climate crisis personally relevant to her community by developing initiatives that connected with people’s existing interests rather than overwhelming them with complex legislation or dire predictions. Working with her TCI regional coordinator, Caitlin Neal-Jones, Siyeon partnered with her local library to establish a teen book club focused on climate fiction, creating a space for young people to explore environmental issues through storytelling. After multiple rejections, she successfully published an article in her local newspaper advocating for Louisiana to reframe climate change not as a “new normal” but as an opportunity to listen to and learn from the natural world. By merging climate activism with literature and outdoor experiences—interests many people already value—Siyeon developed an accessible approach to engagement that emphasizes hope and connection rather than increasing climate anxiety.

Impact Statement

Established a climate fiction teen book club at the local library, successfully published a newspaper article about climate change after months of rejection, and developed an accessible model for engaging communities with climate issues through existing interests and creative platforms rather than technical or overwhelming approaches.