A fifth-year programme rewarding young action
The PalmettoPride Youth Ambassadors programme is now in its fifth year. Each selected student receives a $1,000 scholarship, community service hours and professional development opportunities. This year’s 16 ambassadors were chosen from nearly 200 applicants and carry an average GPA of 3.8 — but, the organisation says, it was their work outside the classroom that stood out most.
The new class includes a volunteer firefighter and EMT who has been picking up litter along her road since 2021, and a freshman who has testified before the South Carolina Senate and dresses as a mascot to teach young children about litter. It also includes the chairwoman of her city’s Mayor’s Youth Council, which holds monthly cleanups, and a Scout who is designing a trash can that attaches to picnic tables. One sophomore traces her commitment back to elementary school, when she saw PalmettoPride’s “Litter Trashes Everyone” marionette show — a performance the organisation says more than one million South Carolina students have seen since 1999.
What the PalmettoPride Youth Ambassadors will do
Over the coming months, the ambassadors will take part in regular training and networking sessions, represent PalmettoPride at community events, plan and lead local litter cleanups, and carry out outreach promoting community pride and environmental stewardship across South Carolina.
Three ambassadors are returning for a second year — Hannah Dean, Grace Brusky and William Cutshall — and will serve as cohort leaders, mentoring the new ambassadors. During her first year, Dean helped remove more than 3,000 pounds of trash through community cleanups, presented her work to the Fort Mill Town Council, and now tests water from the Catawba River each month for contaminants. Brusky helped host a countywide SC Sweep in Lancaster County that gave away more than 50 trees and represented PalmettoPride at the State House. Cutshall started a recycling project at his school that became an FBLA community service project and went on to compete nationally.
“Our future depends on young leaders who care about this place. These students saw litter in their communities and took it on themselves to act, and now classmates, parents, and town leaders are following their example,” said PalmettoPride executive director Sarah Lyles.
“Each of these students has the passion, influence, and drive to inspire change in their communities,” said Megan Hamilton, the PalmettoPride programme assistant who coordinates the ambassador programme. “Through the Youth Ambassador programme, we help them put those qualities into action and bring us closer to our vision of communities across South Carolina that are safe, clean, and cared for.”
Why youth ambassadors matter for a litter-free South Carolina
PalmettoPride leads statewide efforts that the organisation says have supported more than 828,000 volunteers in removing nearly 87 million pounds of litter from South Carolina’s roads and natural areas. Created as the South Carolina Governor’s Task Force on Litter by the state General Assembly in 1997, it became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2001 — a public-private partnership working to prevent litter by shifting attitudes, habits and expectations around waste. It also manages the Keep South Carolina Beautiful programme, and says its education programmes reach more than 100,000 South Carolina students each year.
The organisation says it is preparing young South Carolinians to lead the way in keeping the state clean and beautiful at a moment when, according to PalmettoPride — citing Newsweek reporting — more Gen Z adults are moving to South Carolina than to any other state. More youth-focused climate coverage is available on Watan News International’s English news desk.
FAKTA
- Who: 16 students aged 14–18 from 13 counties
- What: PalmettoPride Youth Ambassadors, 2026–2027 class — the programme’s fifth year
- Reward: $1,000 scholarship, community service hours and professional development for each ambassador
- Selection: nearly 200 applicants; average GPA 3.8; judged on community action outside school
- Announced: 15 October 2026, Columbia, South Carolina
