One hundred and ten high school students participated in Missouri's 63rd annual Missouri Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., June 14 – 20. Local delegates Brylee Barnes of West Plains and Mya Voyles of Eminence represented Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative (HOEC) on the weeklong trip. This year, all 40 of Missouri's electric distribution cooperatives participated in the program.
To be eligible for the Youth Tour, students must be high school juniors (or the equivalent homeschool grade level) who attend school or are homeschooled within HOEC's service area. Students and their guardians do not need to be members of the cooperative to apply.
The Youth Tour provides outstanding high school students from Missouri's rural communities with an all-expenses-paid opportunity to visit the nation's capital. During the seven-day experience, delegates gain firsthand insight into government, leadership, community service, and current issues affecting the nation, while also exploring many of Washington, D.C.'s historic landmarks and memorials.
"The Youth Tour is the highlight of the summer for many students, and we're proud to send our best and brightest to our nation's capital to participate," said Chris Massman, vice president of Member Services for the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. "Each of these delegates will meet someone or see something that inspires them and, in some cases, helps shape their future career path."
Highlights of the trip included visits with members of Congress representing their districts, tours of national monuments and memorials, the Smithsonian museums, Arlington National Cemetery, and the International Spy Museum. One evening, delegates enjoyed a sightseeing and dance cruise on the Potomac River alongside Youth Tour participants from five other states.
Students also participated in Electric Youth Day, a special event coordinated by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association that brought together more than 2,000 Youth Tour delegates from across the country. The program featured remarks from government leaders and motivational speakers, including Mike Schlappi, a four-time Paralympic medalist and two-time world wheelchair basketball champion.
Since 1958, electric cooperatives across the nation have sponsored more than 60,000 high school students on this once-in-a-lifetime educational experience and HOEC is proud to be part of that in Missouri again.
"We are thrilled to participate and look forward to hearing presentations from the students about the things they learned and sights they saw while in Washington, D.C.," explained CEO/General Manager Aaron Wheeler. "This is a great opportunity for students to step out of their local leadership roles and meet other students from across Missouri and the nation. Both Brylee and Mya will be able to show their leadership growth on college, job and scholarship applications when they list Youth Tour as one of the awards they received."
For more information about Youth Programs with Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative, contact Member Communications Specialist Stephanie Beltz-Price at sbeltzprice@hoecoop.org or go to www.moyouthtour.com/cycle.
