2010 Tipmont Youth Tour Application - due February 13, 2010
About Electric Cooperative Youth Tour (from www.youthtour.coop)
What makes electric cooperatives different from other utilities is that “giving something back to the community” is part of their business plan. Why do electric cooperatives bring high school students to Washington? Because it is important to learn about the political process to interact with your government. You will walk away from this week as a better leader and a sense that you can make a difference.
The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C. every June since the late 1950s. Students compete for slots for this unique opportunity and are selected for this program by their local electric cooperative.
The featured speakers during National Youth Day provide insight to the important roles electric cooperatives play in their community. Students gain a personal understanding of American history and their role as a citizen by meeting their representative and senators and explore the sights around the nation’s capital. Don’t be surprised if you run into a former Youth Tour participant who is a congressional aide on Capitol Hill. Several of our alums work in Washington.
Over 40,000 students from rural areas and small towns across America have participated in this unique program. Some of our Youth Tour alums have gone on to design airplanes and to serve in the highest ranks of our government, including the U.S. Senate.
If you want to be part of this fun (free!) week in Washington, please contact your local electric cooperative or high school career center for additional information.
2009 Youth Tour Attendees from Tipmont REMC
Local students attend the 2009 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. Front row, left to right, Kiely Decker, Central Catholic, Sasha McCorkle, McCutcheon, Lynne Hardy, Central Catholic, and Aubri Rush, South Montgomery. Pictured back row, left to right, Tanner McCartney, Benton Central, Nathan Smith, McCutcheon, Clayton Zink, North Montgomery, and Michael Mattern, Attica.
TIpmont REMC was a proud sponsor of the 2009 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. Area students participating in this year’s trip included Michael Mattern from Attica High School, Tanner McCartney from Benton Central, Kiely Decker and Lynne Hardy from Central Catholic, Sasha McCorkle and Nathan Smith from McCutcheon, Clayton Zink from North Montgomery, and Aubri Rush from Southmont High School. This trip marks the 50th year that Indiana’s electric cooperatives have hosted the Youth Tour giving young Hoosiers the opportunity to visit our nation’s capital to learn about government and electric cooperatives.
This year’s trip began on June 11 in Indianapolis with a tour of the Indiana Statehouse and an orientation program at Indiana Statewide Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. and delegates returned home on June 18.
According to Sasha Clements, Tipmont’s Manager of Marketing and Communication, the 2009 Indiana delegation was comprised of a record 78 students from all over the state, each selected by his/her local cooperative. This year, over 1,500 students from across the country joined Indiana’s delegation in Washington for the four-day conference.
“Tipmont REMC is pleased to be able to provide this opportunity for our local students,” Clements said. “It’s a great trip and a wonderful chance to see the sights, make new friends and learn how everyone, including young people, can make a difference in the political process.”
On the way to Washington, students visited Gettysburg Battlefield and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. While in the nation’s capital, the tour included visits to sights such as Arlington National Cemetery; the Lincoln, Jefferson and war memorials, the National Mall Museums, the Newseum, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The delegates met with the Hoosier natives and the center’s director and former U.S. Representative, Lee Hamilton along with C-SPAN staff and CEO, Brian Lamb.
During the “Youth Tour Rally,” students heard about the Our Energy, Our Future™ project which focuses on the importance of responsible carbon legislation and the need for affordable energy. Keynote speaker, four-time Olympic medalist in USA Men’s wheelchair basketball, Mike Schlappi, shared his inspirational message and encouraged the students to “stand out” no matter what they choose to do with their life.
The trip highlight was a luncheon on Capitol Hill where delegates met with Indiana Congressmen Baron Hill, Dan Burton and Joe Donnelly. Following lunch, Congressman Mike Pence joined the delegates on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for a group photo and an impromptu discussion about current events.
Information about the 2010 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. will be available from Tipmont REMC in January.
Tipmont REMC is a member-owned electric cooperative serving residents and businesses in west central Indiana since 1939. Tipmont provides electric service to more than 24,000 sites primarily in Tippecanoe, Fountain, Montgomery, and Clinton counties. Tipmont is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, a national alliance of local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives providing high standards of service and dedicated to serving customers with integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community.