Group of Young Aspiring Environmental Stewards Marks the Second Youth Advisory Council for the Environmentally Focused Nonprofit Organization

Duluth, Georgia, November 10, 2015 – On Wednesday, November 4, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GCB) welcomed the second group of young and aspiring environmental stewards to serve on its Youth Advisory Council. Tasked with serving as the official youth ambassadors for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, the 2016 Youth Advisory Council will also advise Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful on environmental issues, and assist in educating and engaging Gwinnett County Public Schools’ and local private high school students in programs and projects that impact both local and global environmental challenges.

“We welcomed our very first Youth Advisory Council at the end of 2014,” recalled Connie Wiggins, Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “They did a wonderful job and paved the way for this new group of students – our second Youth Advisory Council. This council offers students the opportunity to develop leadership skills, assist with program design and implementation, collaborate with other youth and county leaders, and promote sustainability, environmental literacy, and civic engagement. The launch of the 2016 Youth Advisory Council is on the heels of the debut of the ME Campaign – in which the ME stands for ‘My Environment’. The campaign is designed to educate and empower citizens to take responsibility in taking care of ME. These students are excited, engaged and committed to doing their part to keep ME clean, while encouraging others to do the same.”

Students from any public or private high school in Gwinnett County are eligible to become members of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s Youth Advisory Council. Students must complete an application and obtain at least one teacher recommendation in order to be considered for the Council. A maximum of two students per high school may be selected. All applications are reviewed by a Selection Committee and students are selected based on the Selection Committee’s recommendations. Selections are now closed for 2016, but applications for the 2017 Youth Advisory Council will be accepted beginning in August 2016.

Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s 2016 Youth Advisory Council is comprised of the following local high school students:

• Emily Kaufman and Aly Pine of Archer High School
• Abigail Mathews of Gwinnett Online Campus
• Basent Saleh and Yetzin Osorio of Lanier High School
• Raymond Johnson and Georgina Platero of Brookwood High School
• Meyer Anne Hudson and Madison Dashner of Mill Creek High School
• Vanessa Ishimwe and Ansley Rushing of Collins Hill High School
• Paola Hernandez of Norcross High School
• Theresa Argott and Malika Montgomery of Dacula High School
• Emma Haywood and Janis Yoon of Peachtree Ridge High School
• Myra Khushbakht of Gwinnett School of Math, Science & Technology
• Jacques Burgess of South Gwinnett High School

About Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful:  Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GCB) is a Keep America Beautiful affiliate and award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long-term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a 55-member Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to clean and restore public places, recycle more, protect watersheds and develop the next generation of environmental stewards.  To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.