08/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/30/2024 09:07
08/30/2024
40 students selected throughout Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful (KPB) today announced the 2024-2025 cohort of Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania. The program, administered by KPB, is designed to grow community stewards and civic leaders by engaging and empowering young Pennsylvanians to keep their communities healthy and become ambassadors for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.
Students were selected through a competitive application process and have committed to nine months of service as ambassadors. From September through May 2025, participants will develop civic leadership skills and experiences to champion and advocate for clean and beautiful communities across Pennsylvania.
"Programs like Young Ambassadors are the first step in creating lasting impact on Pennsylvania's ecological health," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. "These students will go on to become decision-makers and steer the state's green future. Starting now is critical."
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will be awarding a minimum of two $1000 scholarships to seniors in the Young Ambassadors program, both current and past participants.
"We are proud to welcome this new slate of Young Ambassadors to our program and excited to provide opportunities for them to engage and activate within their own community. Together, we will explore and connect with young professionals and like-minded students from not just Pennsylvania, but across the country and make a positive impact in our shared communities. We look forward to witnessing the remarkable achievements and positive changes that will emerge from this dynamic group," said Shannon Reiter, President, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
2024-2025 Young Ambassadors of PA:
KPB will provide education and training to program participants on topics related to the impacts of litter, litter prevention, waste management and recycling, civic engagement and related public policy, volunteer management, and social media marketing. Ambassadors will have an opportunity to apply for job shadow opportunities with two companies, DOW, Inc. and Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania/NiSource. Selected students will spend the day in the field with sustainability professionals. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide a stipend to participants to support time and travel expenses.
For more information about the program and the Young Ambassadors, visit the program page or contact Kylie McCutcheon at [email protected].
The Young Ambassador program was recommended in the commonwealth's Litter Action Plan, announced by the Wolf administration in 2021 in response to a 2019 Pennsylvania Litter Research Study, which found Pennsylvania has more than 500 million pieces of litter on its roadways. The action plan includes strategies for all Pennsylvanians to fight litter in their communities.
PennDOT provides many additional litter cleanup volunteer opportunities, including Adopt-A-Highway, Litter Brigades, and more at their roadside beautification web page.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Zachary Appleby, 717-783-8800 or [email protected]
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