Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania application

Application for 2026-2027 Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania (Sept 2026 - May 2027)

The Young Ambassador of Pennsylvania Program seeks to inspire and empower youth to keep our communities clean and beautiful by providing them with resources to:

Educate on the importance of litter prevention and other environmental efforts.
Spread awareness of litter and illegal dumping prevention, and organize community improvement efforts in their local communities.
Network with like-minded community members and leaders to build stewardship in their communities.
Become leaders and capacity builders (what is capacity building?) in their communities.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and PennDOT invite 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students to help us keep Pennsylvania beautiful. Applicants should be passionate about the environment and committed to making Pennsylvania the best place to live, work and play through volunteerism and leadership. Applications are being accepted April 1 through June 10, 2026. If you have any questions, please email Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org.

Preview the application (pdf). This is a preview only, and all applications must be submitted through the online form.

If you are not able to complete the application in one session, click the “Save and Continue Later” link at the bottom of the page. You will receive a unique link to continue later, which will only be valid for 30 days. Please note we are only able to review completed applications submitted.

General Information

Name(Required)

First Last

Nickname/preferred name

How do you pronounce your name?

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Please type how you would like your name to appear on social media, press releases, to fellow Young Ambassadors, etc.

What pronouns do you use?(Required)

She/Her

He/Him

She/They

He/They

They/Them

Prefer not to answer

Other

Can these pronouns can be used publicly?(Required)

Yes

If not, what pronouns would you instead want to use publicly?(Required)

Birth Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Current age(Required)

Grade level in 26-27 school year(Required)

10th

11th

12th

Name of school name (or homeschool)(Required)

School district (or homeschool)(Required)

Please select the racial category or categories with which you most closely identify.(Required)

Check as many as apply.

American Indian or Alaska Native

Asian

Black or African American

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

White

Prefer not to say

Are You Hispanic or Latino/a/x?(Required)

Yes

Prefer not to say

What is your T-shirt size?(Required)

2XL

3XL

4XL

5XL

Student Contact Info

Mailing Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code

County (Allegheny, Berks, York, etc.)(Required)

Phone Number(Required)

Email Address(Required)

This is the address that we'll use to notify you of acceptance or denial to the program.

Enter Email Confirm Email

Did you apply to be a Young Ambassador last year?(Required)

Yes

Session Information, Accessibility and Availability

All required sessions will be virtual; your community engagement events will be in person and local to you. Do you have reliable access to the internet and other technology resources?(Required)

Yes

Google Classroom will be the primary interface during this program; have you used this platform before?(Required)

Google Classrooms requires a personal Google/Gmail account to log-in. If you are accepted into the program and currently don't have an account, you'll need to make a free account. You can create one here. Please reach out to Kylie McCutcheon if you have any questions or concerns!

Yes

Are you currently using social media?(Required)

We encourage Young Ambassadors to promote KPB's mission and your involvement in the program in your community or on tools like social media.

Yes

If so, which ones? Check all that apply.(Required)

X/ Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Snapchat

Tik Tok

Other

What other social media platforms?(Required)

Are there any specific environmental topics, organizations or programs that interest you?(Required)

Short Answer Questions

1. Please introduce yourself, share any hobbies or interests, fun facts about yourself, if you ever had to overcome adversity, or anything else that makes you, YOU.(Required)

2. Please tell us what environmental and/or community issues you are passionate about and why you want to be a Young Ambassador.(Required)

3. If you have a job, regularly volunteer, or have other commitments outside of school please share those with us.(Required)

Please note that other commitments will not disqualify you from consideration.

4. Considering your current commitments and obligations, how confident are you that you will complete all requirements of the Young Ambassador program?(Required)

5. Finish this sentence with the goals you hope to achieve as an Ambassador or how you intend to make an impact: I pledge to keep Pennsylvania beautiful by(Required)

Your response to question 5 may be used for promotional materials.

Please upload the following

Encouraged but not required: One Letter of Recommendation from someone other than an immediate family member (upload as a .pdf)
Required: One photo of yourself that can be shared on social media and in program promotions (upload as a .png or .jpg/.jpeg)*

Please include your name in both file names so we can match it with your application (ex: J_Smith photo.jpeg and J_Smith-LOR.pdf)

*Upload a clear and recent picture of yourself that if accepted, can be used to promote your participation in the program. This picture should be something similar to what you would use as a profile picture on social media. See photos from last year's participants as examples.

Upload letter of recommendation

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 128 MB.

Upload picture(Required)

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: png, jpg, jpeg, Max. file size: 128 MB.

Photo sharing permission(Required)

By uploading a photo, I give Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful permission to share my photo on their website, social media and/or other promotional materials, if selected.

Agree

Parent/Guardian permission to participate(Required)

By checking here, I acknowledge that if selected to participate in this program, a parent’s or guardian’s permission will be required.

Agree

How did you hear about this opportunity?(Required)

X/ Twitter

Facebook

School

Previous Young Ambassador

KPB Newsletter

KPB Press Release

KPB Affiliate

PennDOT

PA DEP

Other

I certify that all information in my application is accurate and true.(Required)

Agree

*Note that you will ONLY be emailed your accepted or denied letter. Please regularly check your email, including junk and spam folders. The letter will be emailed between July 25th and August 9th. If accepted there will be things that must be done immediately to confirm your acceptance.

Applicant signature(Required)

This serves as your official e-signature and authorizes your application.

Please type your legal name (FIRST, LAST).

How should your name appear on the website and other acknowledgements?(Required)

Please type your name (FIRST, LAST) how you want it to appear on our website and other acknowledgements if accepted.

Today's date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Next Steps

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and PennDOT will review applications and score each based on the criteria below.
All applicants will receive confirmation of their application and will be notified no later than August 9th of their acceptance to the program.
Virtual Orientation will be held in the beginning of September or mid-September.

Please feel free to reach out to Kylie McCutcheon kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org with any questions before, during or after filling out the application!

Young Ambassadors 24-25 application scoring rubric

Application for 2026-2027 Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania (Sept 2026 - May 2027)

General Information

Student Contact Info

Session Information, Accessibility and Availability

Short Answer Questions

Please upload the following

Next Steps

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