2008 Youth Tour

Daniel Jenkins & Stephanie Morgan

Washington, D.C. – 84 high school juniors participated in Missouri's forty-fourth annual Missouri Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. June 13-19. Local delegates were Daniel Jenkins and Stephanie Morgan, both from Lamar. They were sponsored by Barton Electric Cooperative, Lamar.

The six-day tour provides an action-filled week for high school students, offering them opportunities to learn first-hand what it is like to be involved in politics, community service and today’s pressing issues. Highlights included a special session on Capitol Hill with Senators Christopher Bond and Claire McCaskill to discuss the process of government and issues of the day and increasing their knowledge of cooperative electric utilities and American history.

The young people also visited with representatives from their congressional districts, toured famous monuments, the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and Arlington National Cemetery. The group also took a sightseeing and dance cruise on the Potomac River one evening with delegates from other states.

Other events of the week included participation in the Electric Youth Day, during which a special program coordinated by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association brought together over 1,500 Youth Tour delegates from across the United States. The delegates enjoyed featured speeches by government leaders and motivational speakers, such as Mike Schlappi, an inspiring four-time Paralympic medalist and two-time world wheelchair basketball champion.

Since 1964, the nation’s cooperative electric utilities have sponsored more than 40,000 high school juniors and seniors for visits to their U.S. congressional delegations, energy and grassroots government education sessions, and sightseeing in Washington. For more information about the Youth Tour program, please go to Youth Tour.

 

 


2008 C.Y.C.L.E Winner

Taylor Rutledge, Lamar High School

 

 

Congratulations to Taylor for winning the trip to Jefferson City this summer!

The Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience or CYCLE is a 3 day conference held in Jefferson City in July. It brings together some of the brightest young leaders from across Missouri. The focus is to show students more about electric cooperatives, teach leadership skills and experience Missouri state government first hand. The program includes nationally know speakers and a day at the state Capitol. There is also time for fun things like an outdoor barbeque and a hypnotist. The group is divided into smaller teams that compete in various events like “build a cooperative” game. Taylor is the daughter of Steve and Belinda Rutledge of Lamar.

 

 

For more information call Jeff Hull, Youth Tour Coordinator

(417-682-5636 or 800-286-5636)