The Alabama Rural Electric Youth Tour program is a grassroots effort to educate high school juniors on the electric cooperative program and its cooperative ideals. It provides a unique opportunity for participating cooperatives to expose young people to the importance of cooperatives and their prominence in everyday American life.
Montgomery Youth Tour
The 2010 Montgomery Youth Tour was held March 2-4. It boasted participation of approximately 135 high school students representing 16 cooperatives from around the state.
Students in the 2010 tour:
Participated in leadership sessions on choosing the right college and the importance of teamwork.
Attended a special breakfast where they engaged in a question-and-answer session with leading legislators in the Alabama House of Representatives.
Attended the annual Legislative Luncheon on the Lawn of the Archives and History Building. Montgomery Youth Tour participants joined managers and directors from their rural electric cooperatives to demonstrate the united voice of the co-ops in state grassroots efforts. Students were able to see their co-op leaders demonstrating the importance of keeping in touch with government leaders.
Attended a dinner cruise just for them aboard the Harriott II Riverboat, which featured dancing and dinner on the Alabama River.
Toured The Rosa Parks Museum, the Little White House of the Confederacy, the Civil Rights Memorial, the Alabama State House, the Alabama Capitol and spent time with Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb at the Alabama Judicial Building.
Washington Youth Tour
AREA will conduct its annual Washington Youth Tour June 12-17. This year’s tour group includs 44 student participants and 9 chaperones. Alabama’s student delegation will join nearly 1,600 other high-school students from around the country for the activity-filled week. The theme of the 2010 Youth Tour is “Our Energy, Our Future.”
Highlights of the trip include:
Visits to Capitol Hill to speak with U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions and the entire Alabama delagation of representatives to discuss relevant issues.
Sightseeing. Students tour the following attractions in the Washington, D.C., area: Arlington Cemetery; Mount Vernon; the FDR Memorial; Jefferson Memorial; the Vietnam, Korean, World War II and Iwo Jima memorials; the Lincoln Memorial; and the Holocaust Museum. Students also attend a performance of the comedy “Shear Madness” at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Students love attractions such as Madame Toussauds Wax Museum and the Newseum as well.
Rural Electric Youth Day. In addition to taking in the sights and sounds of the nation’s capital, all the state groups convene for Rural Electric Youth Day on June 14 to learn from public figures and other inspirational speakers. During Youth Day, a highlight of the weeklong Youth Tour, students listen to inspirational speaker and Gold Medalist, Mike Schlappi who challenges individuals of all ages that despite difficult circumstances, you can take response-ability and be empowered.
Youth Leadership Council
Shuji Miller a member of Baldwin Electric Membership Corporation, won the honor of representing the state of Alabama at NRECA’s annual Youth Leadership Council (YLC) Conference. The council is comprised of one student representative from each state that participates in NRECA’s youth program. The students help direct the focus of the youth program and learn more extensive leadership skills. As Alabama’s youth representative, Shuji will attend a special leadership conference in Washington, D.C.
