Phelan spent a week in Washington, D.C., with 29 peers representing electric cooperatives from across Colorado. Each June, an action-filled week provides high school students opportunities to learn firsthand what it is like to be involved in politics, community service, and the energy industry.
Students started the weeklong trip by learning about co-ops and electricity, touring the Colorado state capitol and meeting with state Sen. Lois Tochtrop. In Washington. the students met with Sen. Bennet and Reps. Gardener, Perlmutter, Polis and Tipton. They peppered lawmakers with great questions about education, energy, marijuana, PACs, balanced budgets, gun control, agriculture issues, endangered species listings, bipartisan cooperation among lawmakers, and more.
Understanding patriotism and seeing the memorials of those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today is another important part of the trip. Also important is meeting new people representing co-ops from across the nation.
National Youth Day, sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, provided an opportunity for students to learn about the importance of community service and scholarship opportunities available for community projects. They also heard from Mike Schlappi, a four-time paralympic medalist and two-time world wheelchair basketball champion. Schlappi shares his inspiring message for every American, young or old: “Just because you can’t stand up, doesn’t mean you can’t stand out.”
For more information on how one can participate in White River Electric’s Washington Youth Tour program, contact 970-878-5041 or www.wrea.org.
The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has been a joint effort of White River Electric, the Colorado Rural Electric Association, Colorado Electric Educational Institute and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Since 1964, the nation’s cooperative electric utilities have sponsored more than 40,000 high school juniors and seniors for visits to their U.S. congressional delegations, energy and grassroots government education sessions and sightseeing in Washington.
