There’s No Telling How Youth Tour Will Inspire You.
Youth Tour is a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid leadership travel opportunity for high school sophomores and juniors (going into their junior or senior year this summer), sponsored by Michigan’s electric cooperatives. From the battlefields of Gettysburg, to the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C., Youth Tour will explore the leadership lessons of our nation’s history and immerse you in the cooperative spirit.
What Youth Tour Is All About.
Leadership Is Our Focus
From the monuments and memorials, to our meetings with Congress, the focus of Youth Tour is LEADERSHIP. And if you’re ready for the ultimate youth leadership experience, check out the Youth Leadership Council.
Cooperation Is Our Purpose
Electric cooperatives power communities and empower their member-consumers to improve their quality of life. We share this spirit of COOPERATION throughout the Youth Tour experience.
History Is Our Guide
We’ll walk the ramparts of Fort McHenry, and stand where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” address. Youth Tour explores the possibilities of our nation’s future through the lens of its HISTORY.
This Is How We Roll.
Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime: June 10-15, 2017.
Our group will meet at a cooperative office in Portland for orientation and lunch (parents welcome!), then board our motor coach bound for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Expect some fun, engaging activities along the way to help us get to know each other and explore the co-op leadership principles that will be the foundation of our Youth Tour experience.
Our day begins with a guided tour of the battlefields at Gettysburg — one of the Civil War’s most dynamic encounters — before traveling on to Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. After a tour of the fort grounds — where a valiant defense in 1814 inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” — we’ll elect our Michigan Youth Leadership Council (YLC) representative. We’ll finish our journey to Washington, D.C., get oriented with a panoramic view of our nation’s capital from the top of the Washington Monument, then end our day with a walking tour of the National WWII Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. You’ll have time to meet and trade state pins with other Youth Tour students from around the country at our hotel this evening.
Our day begins with a walking tour of Arlington National Cemetery, where we’ll visit the President John F. Kennedy gravesite, witness the time-honored changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and reflect on the names and stories of those honored here. We’ll stop for a working lunch and legislative briefing at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Capitol Hill office before our guided tour of the U.S. Capitol Building and exterior tour of the White House. Our day will include brief lectures at the Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) War Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and end with an inspiring keynote address from Olympic Gold Medalist Mike Schlappi at the all-states NRECA Youth Day Assembly. You’ll have time to meet and trade state pins with other Youth Tour students from around the country at our hotel this evening.
We’ll spend most of today meeting with several members of Congress representing Michigan in our nation’s capital. You’ll have a unique opportunity to ask them questions and discuss issues that are important to you! While on Capitol Hill, we may visit the U.S. Supreme Court and Library of Congress, or watch our government in action from the House or Senate Galleries. Our evening will end with a Broadway performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Our day begins in the footsteps of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, to discover the incredible and inspiring true story of the Missing Soldiers Office. We’ll also explore the ideals and leadership principles of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater — site of his assassination in 1865. In the afternoon, you’ll have time to explore several museums of the Smithsonian Institution, including the Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, Natural History Museum and National Gallery. We’ll end our final day on Youth Tour with a Washington Nationals baseball game.
Youth Tour concludes with a short flight back to Michigan, but the adventure doesn’t end there — ask your co-op representative about scholarships, service projects, careers and other co-op opportunities!