The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful invite 10th-12th grade students to help keep Pennsylvania clean and beautiful through the Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program.
The program, now in its third year, builds community stewards and civic leaders by empowering young Pennsylvanians to become ambassadors in their community for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Applicants should be passionate about the environment and committed to restoring and protecting Pennsylvania’s ecological landscape through volunteerism and leadership.
Ambassadors will train and network with industry leaders, state agencies, local media, and the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful network to prepare them to be difference-makers in their communities by building their leadership and problem-solving skills.
Chosen candidates will commit to serve as an Ambassador from September 2024 through May 2025 and represent and uphold the mission and values of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Other responsibilities include: attending six mandatory virtual education sessions; conducting a community assessment and creating a summary presentation; organizing and participating in at least one community cleanup event through Pick Up Pennsylvania and conducting one community education event or activity. There will also be non-mandatory education sessions on a variety of topics.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide education and training to program participants on topics related to the impact of litter on roadways, litter prevention, waste management and recycling, civic engagement and related public policy, volunteer management, and social media marketing. The program will provide networking opportunities to not only build a sense of community within the program but also to promote the professional development of the individual students. In addition, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has partnered with Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania funded by the NiSource Charitable Foundation to provide Job Shadow Days to select Ambassadors.
The Young Ambassadors program was recommended in the commonwealth’s Litter Action Plan announced by the Governor’s Office in November 2021 and is funded by PennDOT.
Applications are being accepted through June 10. Students will be chosen through a competitive application process. Students interested in applying should visit keeppabeautiful.org and choose Programs, Education then Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania or contact Kylie McCutcheon at 724-836-4121 x114 or kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
