Washington, D.C. Youth Tour
2021 Youth Tour
The 2021 Youth Tour has been canceled.
Due to many concerns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Montana Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) will not participate in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. This means Flathead Electric Co-op will not send students to Washington D.C. in 2021. In lieu of the Youth Tour, Flathead Electric and MECA offered a scholarship contest for local students.
This application is now closed. Check back for future updates on potential 2022 Youth Tour opportunities.
Congratulations to the winner of the Youth Tour Essay Contest!
Our Youth Tour Essay Contest this year asked applicants “How has reliable electricity benefitted you and your community through the COVID-19 pandemic?” Whitney Brynne Bodily, a sophomore at Columbia Falls High School, wrote the winning essay and earned a $1,000 scholarship. Here is her winning essay:
In 2018 if someone told me that I would be in a pandemic, I probably would have said “What’s that?”… what comes to mind now is everyone in a panic buying toilet paper and hand sanitizer, leaving the shelves bare! Like me, not having imagined what might happen in the future, I wonder if Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla would’ve believed it if somebody told them that in the next 100 or 200 years the world would be in a pandemic and be completely dependent on electricity. In fact, it has become such an integral part of our lives, that I really didn’t notice or even think about it until it was missing. It is one of the many things that most people take for granted.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of things were changing at a rapid pace. My family and I went from vacationing in Florida near the end of February, to coming home to almost a state of emergency. My high school along with many other schools were being shut down for an indefinite amount of time, which created feelings of uncertainty. Many restaurants, gyms, salons, dental, optical, and medical offices/services, as well as other close contact or non-essential businesses were being shut down as well. Many employers were encouraged to help find ways for their employees to work from home. Those living in the state of Montana were being encouraged to stay at home as much as possible. Communities were then asked to start wearing masks in public places, which eventually led to a statewide mask mandate. Social interactions became very limited, almost non-existent, except for immediate household members.
In addition to these restrictions, borders were being closed for travel to other countries, even to Canada. Many of my immediate and extended family live in Canada so this had a huge impact on me and my family…not knowing when the border would reopen or when we could be together again.
One thing that’s been constant amidst all these changes that I’ve noticed, is electricity. Having reliable electricity has had a direct effect on my education during this time. I went from in class teaching to online learning in a matter of weeks, and what was thought to last just a short amount of time, ended up being the rest of the school year. It was tricky to say the least, and a challenge for staff and students alike. Google meets, online testing and lots of email communication was what it took to finish the school year while maintaining my academic goal of a 4.0. I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to continue my studies through this difficult time. Colleges were also able to switch to remote learning and continue further education for those in my community. Every aspect of these educational changes required electricity.
Reliable electricity also ensured that many of the essential things needed were available. Going to the grocery store was almost a daily occurrence before the pandemic, but during this time these trips were less frequent, more planned and better prepared for. My family makes menu plans to limit the trips to the store, preparing most of our food at home. Learning to cook and having access to the internet for new recipes has helped to keep variety on the table. Additional programs have been made available for all families in the community during this difficult time to help feed families, like farm hands, foodbanks, and school lunch programs even delivered on bus routes. My sister has a chronic illness and is very dependent on Medical services, physicians, and medicine. She has been able to continue with Tele-health visits when offices were closed to still maintain the care and medications needed. Along with that, electricity enables her to have ice and heat to relieve some of her discomfort. She is one of many in my community who require these essential services on a regular basis. Places like hospitals, health care, and pharmacies all run on electricity. These have been especially necessary during this global crisis. Only by having reliable electricity have these important services been able to continue.
For many in my community, employment has been a challenge due to shutdowns. For those employers who have been able to continue their services, reliable electricity has been vital. My dad works in an IT position. Part of his job is to provide staff with the technology and tools needed to perform their work. With employers trying to navigate employees being able to work from home, he has played a crucial part in ensuring that they have the proper tools needed, including laptops, internet, and other software essential to their positions working off site. Again, without reliable electricity, all of those efforts would have been wasted.
On a more personal level, having good electricity has made it so that I can charge my cell phone which has enabled me to stay connected to my extended family, especially those living in Canada. With the border closure, I have been unable to see them – initially I thought it would only be for a month or so but has now continued for more than 9 months, with no current end in sight. I am able to Facetime and see my grandparents, my siblings not living at home, and all my other extended family. Even just simple phone calls have enabled me to stay in contact with family. I have also been able to stay in touch with friends. As I said before, a lot of places have been shut down, including the gyms. One of my passions is working out and during the pandemic I have had to do it at home. I have some equipment at home such as a rowing machine, treadmill, and elliptical which all use electricity. I’ve also been using some online fitness videos to make up for not being in the gym. Working out at home has been pretty great, I even do it with my mom sometimes.
There’s some famous people from the past who I think would be amazed if they realized where their early efforts have led to. From Benjamin Franklin flying his kite into a lightning storm with metal attached, to his lighting rod invention and trying to figure out how to harness electricity. To Thomas Edison, who is most widely known for the electric lightbulb and the direct current system, including DC generators. His efforts led to businesses and homes utilizing electricity – he also had a company named General Electric which is still a major company today. And then there’s Nikola Tesla, most widely known for AC electricity. He and Edison were major factors in the “War of the Currents” of which AC obviously won because that is what is found in homes across the world. Tesla also made one of the first hydroelectric power plants at Niagara Falls in the US. In addition, he created the tesla coil which is what wireless technology is based from.
On a local level, my great grandfather contributed to more modern-day electricity utilization. He was a heavy equipment engineer and worked in the construction of the Hungry Horse Dam, which was completed in 1953. Hydroelectric generation is one of the most steady, constant, and reliable sources of electricity. I know Flathead Electric has multiple power sources including solar panels. It’s amazing to think that the earth’s elements, wind, water and fire are able to power the entire world. I’m especially thankful for those early electrical pioneers and for the linemen and the electrical engineers at Flathead Electric Co-op whose dedication enable us to have consistent and reliable electricity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Youth Tour
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. sends more than 1,500 high-school students to Washington, D.C. each year to learn about the history of this country and the role electric cooperatives played in that history, and to meet with their congressional delegation. Montana sends more than 25 students each year to participate in the Youth tour at no cost to those students.
Flathead Electric Co-op offers two “all expense paid” trips to Washington, D.C. Youth Tour each year to high school sophomores or juniors from schools in the Flathead Electric service territory. The student’s parent or guardian must be served by Flathead Electric Cooperative.
Youth Tour Perspectives
Students selected often describe the trip as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” Click the buttons below to read about the highlights, as told by past participants.
The NRECA Washington D.C. Youth Tour was a once in a lifetime experience. Now that I have had some time to reflect on my week in our nation’s capital, I feel a strong desire to relive the week over and over again.
I feel honored to have shaken the hands of our Senators, Steve Daines and Jon Tester, who treated us exceptionally well. A distinct highlight of my experience was a personal nighttime tour of the Capitol Building by Congressman Greg Gianforte, who I had the honor of meeting. We were able to see D.C. from the “Speakers balcony,” watch a speech being delivered on the House of Representatives floor, and learn about the beautiful and historic features of the Capitol Building. I enjoyed talking to one of Gianforte’s aids and learning about potential future career opportunities in government.
Every single monument was breathtaking and each museum was intriguing. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been chosen for this tour and truly wish every young adult could participate in a voyage similar to the NRECA Youth Tour. Mostly, I am most grateful for the people I met while on Youth Tour. I had so much fun seeing the sights of Washington D.C. while getting to know many of the other participants.
“I am incredibly thankful to Flathead Electric Co-op for sponsoring my participation in Youth Tour. I feel more certain about my future and learned a great deal about how Co-ops support the community and our country. I will forever treasure the memories I made and the knowledge I gained at the NRECA Washington D.C. Youth Tour.”
– Liv Wilson
After finding I had been chosen to join the Washington D.C. Youth Tour as a representative of the Flathead Electric Cooperative, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the opportunity. I knew that I would get to tour many iconic landmarks in the city, I was excited to meet the Montana Senators and Congressman, and I knew I would have fun, but I also vastly underestimated how life altering this week could be. The Washington D.C. Youth Tour exposes you to the diversity of co-ops and communities across the nation, but I would never have guessed that I would see the most diversity between the delegates from Montana and North Dakota.
Having grown up in a community of 25,000 my entire life’s perception of rural had been defined by my home city; however, after meeting my new friends from the Youth Tour I quickly learned how different and diverse the idea of “rural Montana” could be. For the first time I had been given the opportunity to truly talk and ask questions about the lives of other high school students that lived in vastly different cultures. From learning that one student from Circle, Montana was in a class of 12 or that my lack of jitterbugging dance moves was abnormal to others, the youth tour helped transform my perception and understanding of the state of Montana.
Touring the Capitol, meeting our senators, reflecting on memorials and learning through interactive museums all helped me build a deeper connection and admiration for my country, but it also showed me that even from a state of 1 million people, the lives and views of those who live there can be diverse. This realization helped me view the cooperative model in a new and fascinating light because it was a working model of how business can function as a democracy and provide a necessary service that bridges the needs of many.
“I could not be more grateful to the Flathead Electric Cooperative for providing me such an amazing experience that has no doubt changed my views of the community I live in. I have been inspired to become more involved within the Co-op and I am excited to share my experience with others to help advocate for the rural needs of Montana. The NRECA Youth Tour not only exposed me to the diversity of cooperative influence in the nation, but also the incredible diversity that exists just within Montana as well. I developed a new sense of pride and understanding of my community and was able to ask questions of a perspective I hadn’t before considered. Thank you to the staff and members of the Flathead Electric Cooperative for giving youth the once in a lifetime opportunity of participating in the Washington D.C. Youth Tour.”
– Brooklyn Lamars
I have always heard about how the NRECA Washington Youth Tour trip is a trip of a lifetime. I never fully understood what people meant by that until I was able to go on this trip. This trip was full of learning experiences, along with a ton of fun. I had heard all about this trip and wonders it held from my brother, but when I was on this trip I realized that it was even better than his stories.
I enjoyed traveling with a big group, riding on buses, and keeping track of my own money and passes. On this trip I was responsible for myself and treated like an adult. In small groups we used maps to find our way to different Smithsonian museums and other memorials.
I was amazed to actually see the history and understand the stories behind the memorials. I think my favorite monument was the Martin Luther King Jr statue. I learned the story behind why the statue wasn’t finished is the sculptor wouldn’t finish it until racism was gone from America. The statue is still unfinished. Myself and many others felt the powerful message as we stood below the statue. We know that change can happen in this world if we are just patient and if we don’t give up. The monuments hold so much history and power. Being there in person cannot compare to just reading about it.
“Going to D.C was truly a once and a lifetime trip and I am very grateful for being able to go. The experiences, memories, and friends that I made will never be forgotten. I know I have come back a more knowledgeable, understanding person who is willing to stand up and make a difference.”
