I hope you will help me get the word out to all the AIS youth members. The Ackerman Youth Essay Contest is a great way to encourage our youth to think about iris before they start to bloom again. It is a way for them to creatively write. It will help them think about their future within our iris world. I hope it will encourage their parents, grandparents, teachers, mentors and others to get involved with our youth’s lives.
The theme for the essay is:
It is the 50th Anniversary of the American Iris Society this year! Imagine that you are the President of the American Iris Society 50 years from now, on the 100th Anniversary of AIS. How would you encourage people to join AIS and continue to support growing and sharing irises into the future? What do you think irises will look like in 2070?
The deadline for the essay is March 30, 2020
If you could share this flyer ( Ackerman Contest 2020 Flyer ) that has all the info on it with all your local society members it would help get the word out to the youth. It might even be a way to encourage more youth to join AIS. If you know a leader of a youth group, like a Boy Scout leader or a Girl Scout leader or a 4-H leader, talk to them about the essay contest and its awards. Ask them to hand out the AIS website or invitation to join AIS when they talk about the contest.
Thanks,
Debbie Strauss