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Covington Electric Cooperative recently sponsored 12 juniors from each high school that it serves, to attend the 2024 Montgomery Youth Tour on March 13-15. 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 for the Montgomery Youth Tour which included tours of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Alabama State House, Civil Rights Museum, and the Legacy Museum. The trip also included team-building activities to learn about cooperatives, an exciting interactive session with nationally known speaker Craig Hiller, and guest speaker former Congresswoman Martha Roby.

CEC’s Montgomery Youth Tour participants had the opportunity to compete on March 21, to win four slots on the national Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., in June. The competition included a test on co-op history and facts, as well as a panel interview. Orrin Douglas of Straughn, Sara Catherine Sansom of Pleasant Home, Marli Rolling of Straughn, and Bryan Spivey of Samson, were selected as CEC’s 2024 Washington Youth Tour delegates. Audrey Ward of Straughn was chosen as the first alternate.

“It’s hard to explain the value of what students gain by participating in the Youth Tour program because it’s so varied,” says Patty S. Seay, CEC’s youth tour coordinator. “They make new friends and feel empowered to step outside of their comfort zones. Students really embrace the experience that Youth Tour provides, and it’s rewarding to see their confidence grow in such a short period of time. I wish more students would apply for this opportunity when it’s made available to them their junior year in high school,” 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.