What is Youth Tour?
Youth Tour is a trip that many previous students consider to be an opportunity of a lifetime!
The Youth Tour is a National Rural Electric Cooperative Association sponsored program that Consolidated Electric Cooperative has also been a proud sponsor of for many years. Youth Tour was initiated to help educate America's youth about our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and about the Rural Electric Cooperative system. Each year in June, approximately 80 high school juniors from Missouri join with nearly 2000 other students from various cooperatives around the United States for a six-day tour through Washington D.C.
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 pressing issues in our society. Highlights include a special session on Capitol Hill with Senators Christopher Bond and Jim Talent to discuss the process of government, issues of the day and increase their knowledge of cooperative electric utilities and American history.
The young people are also given an opportunity to visit with representatives from their congressional districts, tour famous monuments, Mt. Vernon, the Smithsonian Institution and museums and Arlington National Cemetery. The group also takes time to attend a Washington Nationals baseball game and to enjoy a sightseeing and dance cruise on the Potomac River one evening with delegates from other states.
Other events of the week include participation in the Electric Youth Day, during which a special program coordinated by the NRECA brings together over 2,000 Youth Tour delegates from across the United States. The delegates enjoy 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.
Who is eligible for the Youth Tour experience?
The Youth Tour Contest is open to all high school juniors living in or attending school in Consolidated Electric Cooperative's service area. Entrants are not required to be a Cooperative member. The immediate family members of employees or directors of Consolidated Electric Cooperative are not eligible.
How do you enter the contest?
Any high school junior, living in the CEC service territory, is eligible to compete in the contest. The challenge for each student lies in researching electric related topics and developing a creative approach while writing a 500-word essay (on a topic that has been chosen for them) to gain the judges attention. Anyone interested in the Youth Tour experience can contact the Cooperative at 573-581-3630 or email info@consolidatedelectric.com. Upon entering, each student will receive a research packet that outlines the information they will be writing about. Consolidated Electric provides the topic and some research resources.
Learn more and see pictures of past Youth Tour trips at www.youthtour.org, or www.amec.org/youth.html
How are winners selected?
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The essays will be blind-judged, meaning that no names or identification is included when the judges from outside of Consolidated Electric read the essays. It is Cooperative policy to sponsor two delegates each year.
Additionally, two runners up will be chosen to attend the C.Y.C.L.E. conference that is held annually in Jefferson City.
What is C.Y.C.L.E.?
 The Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience a.k.a., the CYCLE program is a three day conference held in July each year in Jefferson City. Thirty Missouri Cooperatives send CYCLE delegates to the conference which brings in approximately 60 high school (will be) seniors from across the state. Two of those delegates will be from Consolidated Electric. The two runners up from the Youth Tour essay contest will be given the opportunity to attend the all-expense paid conference. The main goal of the conference is to show students more about electric cooperatives, teach leadership skills and experience Missouri state government.
The program includes nationally known speakers and a day at the state Capitol. Time at the conference isn’t all about learning, there are many fun events scheduled throughout the three days. There is an outdoor barbeque and a hypnotist even visits one evening. The overall group is divided into small teams that compete in various events like the “build a cooperative” game that take place throughout the conference.
To learn more about the CYCLE program visit http://www.ruralmissouri.org/07pages/07SeptCYCLE.html. |
