Johns Creek High Student Named National Child Youth Ambassador

Staff Report

Youth Service America and Festival of Children Foundation announce that Johns Creek High School student Evan Barnard, 16, will serve as a National Child Awareness Month youth ambassador.

As one of 51 youth ambassadors selected from a nationwide pool, Evan will receive funding and training to lead an initiative to create nature programs designed to increase access to the outdoors for children with physical impairments. The new organization, Nature for All, will give these youth a chance to learn about and experience the natural world through Braille nature trails and other accessible outdoor areas and special educational programs.

Evan’s work begins in September, which is designated as National Child Awareness Month, when he travels to Washington, D.C., for leadership training and meetings with members of the state’s congressional delegation.

He will then return home to launch a campaign to pair youth volunteers with youth with physical impairments to provide them with opportunities to explore nature trails and participate in programs designed to increase learning and development through outdoor experiences. As of 2010, there were over 1.5 million school-age children in Georgia with disabilities that could benefit from this program.

Evan was selected through a competitive application process. He was chosen based on the quality of his project proposal and its potential to create substantive, large-scale change that benefits young people in Georgia.

Now in its seventh year, National Child Awareness Month is a program led by Festival of Children Foundation to raise awareness about issues affecting children and encourage the nation’s youth to take action.

The 51 ambassadors will work in their communities, and form a collective network to raise awareness around issues important to young people. They will receive a national-level platform for their cause; a $1,000 grant to develop a service project his or her home state; ongoing training and project guidance; and networking opportunities with other ambassadors across the country.

“These teens and young adults are the future of philanthropy,” said Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder and executive director of Festival of Children Foundation. “They understand the importance of making a difference and giving back. Festival of Children Foundation’s collaboration with Youth Service America allows us to give these kids the tools to create a powerful youth network that will create lasting change across the country.”

(Photo: Evan Barnard, 16, a student at Johns Creek High School. Credit: Youth Service America)