(May 6, 2024) Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Young Ambassadors program was recognized with a Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. The Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence is an annual award presented to any Pennsylvania business, farm, government agency, educational institution, non-profit organization or individual that has created, or participated in, the development of a project that promotes environmental stewardship in Pennsylvania.

The Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program is offered in partnership with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and builds community stewards and civic leaders by inspiring, engaging, and empowering young Pennsylvanians to become ambassadors in their community for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.

The program provides opportunities for high school students to train and network with industry leaders, state agencies, local media and the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Board and staff to increase leadership and problem-solving skills and promote professional development while preparing them to continue to make differences in their communities and beyond.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful provides education and training to program participants on such 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. Throughout the year, the students must attend six mandatory virtual education sessions, conduct a community assessment and organize a cleanup and an education event. 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 the PA Department of Transportation.

“We are honored to accept the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in recognition of our Young Ambassadors program. Working with the youth of Pennsylvania through our program has been satisfying and enlightening. Each student brings their own experiences and aspirations that have helped shape the program over the past three years. We know the students of today hold the key to a sustainable future and we’re excited to be able to provide guidance for the next generation to implement change in their communities and the Commonwealth. We’re grateful to continue to partner with PennDOT to provide even more opportunities for students to develop necessary skills for them to succeed,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Each year 30 to 40 students are accepted into the program. Applications are currently being accepted until June 10, 2024 for students who will be in grades 10-12 during the 2024-2025 school year. Apply here.

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About Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s vision is a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Since 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has worked with hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the state to pick up nearly 158 million pounds of trash from Pennsylvania’s roadways, waterways, greenways, vacant lots, forestlands and other community spaces. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s core programming focuses on litter and illegal dump prevention, cleanup, community greening, and proper waste handling and sustainable practices. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful works with many partnering organizations on the state and grassroots level to accomplish our goal of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. To learn more about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org.

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