Youth Tour
High school juniors have a chance to join other Indiana youth on a trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C. Indiana’s electric cooperatives have hosted the Youth Tour since 1960, providing hundreds of young hoosiers the opportunity to visit our nation’s capitol and learn about the federal government and the cooperative utility industry. WIN Energy REMC sponsored Jessica Welage to attend the 2011 tour. This trip marks the 52nd year that Indiana’s electric cooperatives have hosted the Youth Tour.
This year's trip began on June 9 in Indianapolis with a visit to the Hoosier Training Facility in Franklin, Ind., where delegates took part in several hands-on activities which gave them an idea of the types of work a cooperative lineman performs. Students also learned about electric safety and viewed a pole-top rescue simulation. The orientation program wrapped up with students assembling a miniature electric grid with working lights. Delegates returned home on June 16.
The 2011 Indiana delegation was comprised of 75 students from all over the state, each chosen 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 hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. WIN Energy is pleased to be able to provide this opportunity for our local students. It is 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.
During the tour, delegates met with Congressmen Joe Donnelly (IN-2) and Todd Young (IN-9); Neil Brown, special advisor to Senator Richard Lugar; and Nebraska State Senator, David Landis. Additional highlights of the 2011 itinerary included the Gettysburg Battlefield, Arlington National Cemetery; the Lincoln, Jefferson and war memorials, the National Mall Museums, the Newseum, and George Washington's Mount Vernon.
Applications now available for the 2012 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
