Covington Electric Cooperative recently sponsored juniors from each high school it serves, to attend the 2023 Montgomery Youth Tour on March 14-16. Students were selected last fall through an essay competition held at their schools.
The CEC Youth Tour delegates joined approximately 130 students from across the state at the Montgomery Youth Tour which included tours of the Alabama State Capitol, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Alabama Department of Archives and History, and the Alabama State House. The trip also included team-building activities with motivational speaker Cea Cohen-Elliot and a visit with several lawmakers at the State House.
CEC’s Montgomery Youth Tour participants competed on March 24, for four slots on the National Rural Electric Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., which will take place in June. The competition included a test on co-op history and facts, as well as an interview. Cora Wyrosdick of Straughn, Landon Hanks of Kinston, Briley Douglas of Pleasant Home, and Aubrey Pittman of Straughn were selected as CEC’s 2023 Washington Youth Tour delegates. Kendal Nichols of Brantley was chosen as the first alternate and Ava Sormrude of Samson was chosen as the second alternate.
“The Youth Tour program is an amazing opportunity for the students who attend,” says Patty S. Seay, CEC’s youth tour coordinator. “We have many kids that feel inspired to make a positive change in the world around them and take action to do so after going through this program. It’s remarkable to see their confidence grow in only three days, but it happens every year. I’m so glad that CEC continues to support this great program for the students in our service area,” she added.
The purpose of the Youth Tour is to inform young people about how cooperatives benefit their members, learn about government and history, enhance leadership skills, and meet other young people from across the state and nation while visiting historical sites and landmarks.