The Communications Committee develops and implements a variety of outreach activities to ensure as many YLO Ambassadors as possible participate in planning and implementing YLO Ambassador events.  The Communications Committee also markets YLO Ambassador programs to ensure dynamic community participation, as applicable.  Specific responsibilities include:

• To maintain the YLO Ambassador Facebook page.
• To maintain the YLO Ambassador Google Site.
• To create engaging marketing materials and strategies to promote YLO Ambassador involvement.
• To create engaging marketing materials and strategies to recruit participants for YLO Ambassador events, such as the Youth Leadership Forum.
• To build the YLO Ambassador brand by creating t-shirts and other materials for use during YLO Ambassador events.

1. Will Hurd, Class 14, Millard North High School
2. Bill Sheridan, Class 14, Metropolitan Community College
3. Peter Bock, Class 15, Omaha Central High School
4. Andy Martin, Class 15, Elkhorn High School

• To plan the agenda for the Forum.
• To recruit speakers.
• To develop community service opportunities.
• To work with the Communications Committee to create marketing and application materials and processes.
• To recruit participants.
• To facilitate the Forum event.

Co-Chairs:

1. Anna Reed, Class 14, Omaha Burke High School
2. Ravan Charles, Class 14, Omaha North High School
3. Kris Martin, Class 15, Omaha North High School
4. Lindsey Long, Class 15, Springfield High School

As graduates of the Youth Leadership Omaha program, one of goals the YLO Ambassador Program is to put the leadership skills learned while in the YLO program to use raising funds to sustain the YLO program itself.  In order to do so, the Fundraising Committee's responsibilities include:

• To participate in the fundraising planning activities coordinated by the Creighton University College of Business Administration.
• To recruit YLO Ambassadors to participate in Creighton University-sponsored YLO fundraising events and activities.
• To plan and implement YLO Ambassador fundraising strategies and events in support of YLO.
• To plan and implement YLO Ambassador fundraising strategies and events in support of YLO Ambassador activities.

Chair:

1. Caitlin Johnson, Class 15, Omaha Bryan High School

Another way YLO Ambassadors put their leadership skills into practice is through community service.  To this end, once a month, YLO Ambassadors engage in some sort of service learning project.  In the past, YLO Ambassadors have prepared and served dinner at homeless shelters, distributed water at the Corporate Cup, visited residents at the Hospice House, helped build a home through Habitat for Humanity, etc.  This year, the YLO Ambassadors will sponsor smaller projects the first two months of every quarter, and once per quarter a larger project will be held.  For the larger project, YLO Ambassadors will be encouraged to bring non-YLO Ambassadors to participate.  Specific responsibilities of the Service Learning Committee include:

• To plan a calendar of community service projects, including quarterly large projects which will reach out and include additional youth from outside of YLO.
• To work with the sponsoring community service agencies to ensure a full understanding of the project(s) to be completed and the rules/procedures that will need to be followed.
• To work with the Communications Committee to recruit YLO Ambassadors and other youth to participate in the service learning projects that are planned.
• To communicate the responsibilities of the community service projects to participants and supervise their work.

1. Danny Mulhall, Class 14, Creighton Prep High School
2. Courtney Fraser, Class 15, Ralston High School

All YLO Ambassadors are eligible to participate in this special program, co-sponsored by the Omaha Community Foundation and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  With funds, typically $10,000, provided by donors to the Omaha Community Foundation, the Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) participants decide upon a youth-oriented theme or set of needs to be addressed by innovative projects and services, create and disseminate a Request for Proposals seeking local agencies who are interested in creating programs and services to address these needs, judge the grant proposals that are submitted in response to the Request for Proposals, select winners, and distribute the funds.  Specific responsibilities of the Youth in Philanthropy Committee include:

• To work with the Communications Committee to recruit YLO Ambassadors to participate in the Youth in Philanthropy program.
• To set up and coordinate site visits to the agencies who receive YIP grant awards.
• To create a process for scoring the grant proposals that are submitted.
• To facilitate the dissemination of the grant proposals that are submitted to the YIP participants so they can be read and scored.
• To create and facilitate the process to be used in selecting the winners.
• To plan and coordinate the Awards Ceremony.

Co-chairs:

Ryan Crnkovich, Class 14, Gross High School

Zach Christensen, Class 15, Elkhorn High School