Co-op teens discover their power
“I WASN’T A FAN of road trips, people I didn’t know and especially big cities.”
When Jacob Edmonds boarded the bus in Winchester on June 16 to begin the weeklong Washington Youth Tour, the Madison South High School student was quiet and unsure amid 60 other rising seniors representing 17 Kentucky electric cooperatives who underwrite the experience.
“But from there on out, talking to new people became something I strove to do every single day,” Edmonds recalls. “From avoidance to the greatest trip of my life.”
Co-op Champions
Edmonds, whose trip was sponsored by Blue Grass Energy, is now one of 13 students taking their youth tour experience to the next level in the new Co-op Champions program. Modeled after the cooperative principles that drive Kentucky’s member-owned electric co-ops, Co-op Champions empowers students to engage in their communities, take initiative and practice civic responsibility.
Jacob Edmonds, left, of Blue Grass Energy, and Noah Downey, of Salt River Electric, take in the sights on the Washington Youth Tour. Photo: Tim Webb
“It taught me what it meant to be a leader and how to lead, represent and communicate effectively and professionally,” says Clinton County student Addison Carr, who represents South Kentucky RECC.
In addition to supporting their local co-ops and volunteering, each Co-op Champion hosts a voter registration drive as part of the Co-ops Vote campaign, a nonpartisan partnership with Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams.
‘Tangible and attainable’
The seeds of civic engagement were planted at iconic sites like the U.S. Capitol. “It felt like a moment I had waited for my entire life,” says Wayne County High School senior Mattie Goley of South Kentucky RECC, describing the first glimpse of the Capitol dome she had only ever seen in photographs.
Karsten Ingalls of Nolin RECC adds that walking into the Capitol and the White House made government feel “real, tangible and attainable.”
“I’ve always loved history, politics and government; getting to experience all three firsthand was unparalleled.”
Honoring sacrifice
At Arlington National Cemetery, four youth tour students laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a “true honor and special moment,” Carr says.
Taylor County High School senior Hunter Farmer of Taylor County RECC calls the wreath ceremony “one of the most emotional and humbling experiences,” that he will carry with him forever.
Reflecting on the more than 400,000 Americans buried at Arlington, Somerset Christian High School senior Elise Meggs of South Kentucky RECC says she is “filled with appreciation for the sacrifice they made” and that the experience strengthened her desire to serve her country.
Patriotism comes alive
Kentucky co-ops first began sending students to the nation’s capital in 1972, and ever since, the students return with a newfound love of country.
“We weren’t just sightseers or tourists,” says Isabelle Huber of Nolin RECC. “We are the country’s next generation.”
Inside a dimly lit chamber of The National Museum of American History, the students paused, then raised their voices to salute the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner.
“I will never forget singing the national anthem while we gazed at that same flag which flew over that harbor in 1814,” Ingalls recalls.
Power to the people
The ambassadors also return with a deeper understanding of what electric cooperatives mean to their home communities. Carr says the tour helped her decide to study political science and one day work in public service. Meggs says learning about cooperatives gave her “a new understanding of our government on a national level, but most importantly, our electric cooperatives.”
“Coming from a more urban area,” Bullitt East High School senior Makayla Meyer of Salt River Electric admits she didn’t fully understand the importance of co-ops before the trip.
“This trip has inspired me to pursue a political career where I can represent a variety of people, rural and urban alike.”
Brody Miller, who was selected to represent Kentucky on the national Youth Leadership Council, says he now sees how policymakers affect co-ops’ ability to provide affordable, dependable power. “It inspires my involvement in our political processes and to learn more about public policy that affects Kentucky and my community,” he says.
Elise Meggs, second from right, hosts a voter registration drive at Somerset Christian School. Photo: Wade Harris
Finding a voice
Sitting in front of the trophy case at Lee County High School, Makayleigh Ward smiles and greets classmates, encouraging them to fill out a voter registration form and take a piece of candy.
“Before I went on the youth tour I was shy,” Ward admits. “This tour allows you to branch out and make new friends and connections. All of the youth tour delegates are incredible people. The chaperones are also incredible people.”
At both a voter drive at Bethlehem High School in Bardstown and in a youth tour promotional video produced by his co-op, Salt River Electric, Noah Downey shares his experience.
From meals to monuments, “I never felt out of place,” Downey says. What began with strangers became a group of friends who helped him “connect, learn and grow.”
Sharing the story
Carroll County High School’s Masen Chandler, whose trip was sponsored by Owen Electric, says the trip taught him about service and that he hopes to “use the things I learned … to better serve my community in the future.”
After first attending—and enjoying—the Frankfort Youth Tour in March, Kristopher Gibson anxiously awaited word from his co-op, Jackson Energy, on whether he would be selected to go to the nation’s capital.
“I often would sit in class checking my email day by day, pondering on when I would receive an email,” Gibson recalls.
Gibson ultimately got that notification and made the most of his experience.
The Clay County High School senior says he left Washington knowing, “We all were cared about by someone.”
“Hopefully I will be able to reach others in advocacy through my community to promote the Washington Youth Tour,” he says.
The power of print
“I first found out about the Washington Youth Tour while reading Kentucky Living magazine,” Meyer notes. “After traveling to D.C., I can say that small action changed the course of my life entirely.
