Our Student Ambassador Program: Year in Review

Over the 2015-2016 academic year, SCAN launched the Student Ambassador Program, a nationwide leadership program for high school and college students.

Nationwide

The Student Ambassador Program works on the local, state and national levels. During the fall semester, students joined together to organize “Under One Sky” events, which raised awareness for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and the need to end extreme poverty. Two Student Ambassadors also joined a group of students from around the world at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in September to advocate for ending treatable and preventable deaths of moms and kids.

In all, Student Ambassadors organized over 100 events. Here are a few highlights:

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Above (left): Students and community members gathered for the Under One Sky event in Charleston, South Carolina, where they lit candles for each of the Sustainable Development Goals. Middle: Sruthi and Chloe, two of our Student Ambassadors, at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Right: Students from around the world, gathered in New York City for the 70th annual United Nations General Assembly. Students advocated for an end to extreme poverty and ending treatable and preventable deaths of moms and kids.

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During the spring semester, students organized Weeks of Action around saving moms and kids and expanding access to preschool for all kids.

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Above (upper left): Students at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts host a Cookies & Cocoa event to raise awareness for early childhood education during the Week of Action for Early Ed. Upper right: Students at Concord High School in New Hampshire hosted a “Wear Red for Early Ed Day” at their school. Lower left: University of South Carolina students pose after their film screening event where they educated the USC community about saving the lives of moms and kids. Lower right: An Illinois State University Student Ambassador tables on campus with club members to advertise their photo gallery during the Week of Action to Save Moms and Kids!

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Our Student Ambassadors have also participated in the High 5 for Kids Campaign, a campaign dedicated to raising the visibility of kid’s issues during the presidential election. Below are just a few (of many!) campaign events our students attended throughout the school year!

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Left to right: Student Ambassador Ashley with her mom and Governor Jeb Bush; Urbandale High School student Mariah with Senator Bernie Sanders; students from the University of South Carolina with Senator Marco Rubio; Students from Iowa with Secretary Hillary Clinton. 

In Iowa…

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Student Ambassadors at Drake University hosted a screening of a clip from A Path Appears, focused on early childhood education services for kids in need. Community volunteers and a Student Ambassador from Iowa State University came to support the event! 

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Iowa Student Ambassadors helped with visibility outside of several presidential debates and at the Iowa caucuses in January and February. 

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High school students attended the Iowa Youth Caucus, which SCAN helped to sponsor. They learned about the caucus process and the ways to connect with presidential candidates. 

Shout out to our Iowa Student Ambassadors: Sruthi, Kaitlin, Taylor, Alyssa, Mercedes, Mariah and Sarah!

In South Carolina…

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Student Ambassadors at the University of South Carolina, College of Charleston and Furman University all attended presidential candidate events and debates to remind candidates to invest in kids! 

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Pictured above: Student Ambassadors hosted numerous campus and community events to educate and raise awareness for kids around the world. 

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Pictured above: South Carolina Student Ambassadors participated in several meetings with South Carolina elected officials throughout the school year.

Shout out to our incredible South Carolina Student Ambassadors Morgan, Jimmy, Ridge, Ashley, Holland, Kjersti, Laurin, Jessica, Paris, Julia, Abby, Ja’Varis, Shelby, Savannah, Christine, Emily, Alicia and Abby!

In Massachusetts…

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Deerfield Academy Student Ambassadors hosted a screening of the documentary A Path Appears for their school community.

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Deerfield Student Ambassadors use their voice to advocate for kids through organizing educational initiatives on campus and encouraging their peers to take action on behalf of kids in need.

Awesome work, Deerfield Student Ambassadors Ethan, Virginia and Kate!

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We can’t wait to see what our Student Ambassadors accomplish next! Learn more about the Student Ambassador Program.