(April 24, 2025) Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), is seeking civic and environmental leaders in 10th -12th grade to keep Pennsylvania clean and beautiful through the Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program.

The Shapiro Administration knows the value of attracting the next generation of leaders to careers in state government. In December, the administration announced substantial increases in the number of Generation Z (Gen Z) and Millennial employees who have joined the Commonwealth workforce in recent years. This partnership, now in it’s fourth year, seeks to build on that success.

The Young Ambassadors program empowers young community stewards and civic leaders to become ambassadors in their community for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Ambassadors will have the opportunity to train and network with industry leaders, state agencies, local media and the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful network, and will receive a taste of life in the public service sector.

“I’ve been in public service a long time, and I can say that community leaders are the key difference makers between getting things done and just talking about it,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Every new generation has more to lose with environmental damage, so I invite every young Pennsylvanian to be part of the solution.”

Applications are being accepted through June 10. Students will be chosen through a competitive application process. Students interested in applying should visit keeppabeautiful.org or contact Kylie McCutcheon at 724-836-4121 x114 or kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org.

Applicants should be passionate about the environment and committed to protecting Pennsylvania’s natural beauty and environmental health through volunteerism and leadership.

Chosen candidates will commit to serve as an Ambassador from September 2025 through May 2026 and represent and uphold the mission and values of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

“We look forward to receiving many inspiring applications from our youth, who are equipped with passion and drive to implement change in their communities and beyond,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “We’re grateful for our ongoing partnership with PennDOT, which allows us to offer even more opportunities for students to develop the essential skills needed for their success.”

Other responsibilities include:

• attending 6 mandatory virtual education sessions;
• conducting a community assessment and creating a summary presentation;
• organizing a a community cleanup event through Pick Up Pennsylvania and conducting one community education event or activity.

There will also be non-mandatory education sessions from a variety of topics.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide 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. The program will provide networking opportunities to not only build a sense of community within the program but also to promote professional development of the individual students. In addition, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has partnered with industry leaders to provide Job Shadow Days to select Ambassadors.

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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 162 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.

Download the press release.