Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens unveils youth mural inspired by borough’s clean energy transition

The mural was created by young artists from the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens in partnership with
Mural artist and teacher of the Community-Word project. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

June 28, 2024 By Ramy Mahmoud and Queens Post Staff

The Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens unveiled a vibrant, clean energy-inspired mural on Tuesday, June 18, designed and painted by children in their after-school program with creative guidance from Community-Word Project artists.

Visual artists worked with children aged 6 to 14 to write a community poem about their ideas for building a cleaner future and drew on themes from the poem to inspire the design of the mural.

The central element of the design was blue, symbolizing water. The painting incorporates themes of clean energy, protecting our planet and building a greener future. The mural is located in the parking lot of the Variety Boys and Girls Club, located at 21-12 30th Rd. in Long Island City.

Photography by Ramy Mahmoud

The collaborative artistic project was supported by Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) and developed in partnership with Hydro-Québec, Flushing Bank and the Community-Word Project.

CHPE is a 339-mile, fully buried transmission line that will bring clean, renewable hydroelectricity from Quebec to Queens. Once operational in 2026, it aims to reduce New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions, which have historically created negative health impacts on youth and communities, particularly in western Queens’ “Asthma Alley.”

Photography by Ramy Mahmoud

“For decades, our youth have lived in the shadow of fossil fuel smokestacks that litter our landscape and pollute our air,” said Costa Constantinides, CEO of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens. “CHPE is at the forefront of this transformation. By partnering with CHPE, Community-Word Project, and Flushing Bank, our youth were able to learn about the energy transition and express their feelings for a cleaner, greener future through this beautiful mural here at the Variety Boys and Girls Club.”

“It was inspiring to see our Queens youth generating ideas around clean energy and charting a path toward a greener future as we continue to build CHPE,” said Pete Rose, senior director of community relations. Hydro-Québec stakeholders. “This project with the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens and the Community-Word Project gives students the opportunity to make connections, discover their passions through education, and understand how our clean energy transition will benefit their community.

Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

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