Youth News for Region 17      A Youth Achievement Award will be given annually at the Region 17 Annual meeting in August of each year, along with a check in the amount of $50.00. The winner of the award will be nominated for the Clarke Cosgrove Award which is the National AIS Youth Award. The winner of the Clarke Cosgrove Award receives a trophy and a cash prize that will be presented at the AIS Convention in the spring of the following year.      The Region 17 Youth Achievement Award committee will be composed of the RVP, the Newsletter Editor, and the Region 17 Youth Director. Any AIS member may nominate any AIS youth member.  A youth may be nominated by more than one person, or by someone  from another region. With the nomination, please include the youth's age (DOB) and name of local club membership.      Outline his/her activities following the guidelines below. If you need a list of the youth's activities, call a club officer, your club's Youth Advisor, a close relative, or the youth themselves.  Youth nominations are made in writing to the Youth Chair for Region, the letter not to exceed two pages, setting out the youth's qualifications, his activities in local and regional affairs, and any special considerations that are your reason for the nomination. From these nominations the committee will select the winner for the year. The nomination letter should include the personal attributes of the youth, using some of the following as guidelines: - Growing a fine garden - Actively hybridizing - Writing for an iris publication - Helping an iris organization through a committee or activity - Visiting local iris gardens - Attending regional-national tours - Studying to be an AIS judge - Promoting irises and/or AIS to others - Signing up new AIS members - Competing enthusiastically in iris shows - Experimenting with irises - Showing an interest in the various iris classes and sizes - Demonstrating leadership skills Deadline for submitting nominations is postmarked by July 15. Mail nomination letters to: Dawn Boyer 6736 Brookview Way Amarillo, TX  79124 dboyer@boysranchisd.org 806-354-8781 Sadly enough, last year Region 17 got absolutely no nominations for this award. The medal I had designed for this award is awesome. It is an iris etched on a glass diamond shaped medal. I know there must be one or two youth out there in our region that are doing some of the items in the list below. Start now and get some letters in. If you are not sure what to write about the youth, talk to them or their parents, give them a copy of the list below, and ask them to make you a resume about their child. Then you can add more facts to your recommendation letter. Please nominate and encourage the youth in your Region.   Debbie Strauss