In June, public power districts and electric cooperatives across the U.S. sent groups of high school students to Washington, D.C. for the 2022 National Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. After a two year hiatus due to COVID-19 Nebraska sent 21 students and two chaperones, representing Nebraska public power districts and electric cooperatives.
    While in D.C., Nebraska’s Youth Tour delegation visited many of the major monuments and memorials, including the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Memorials. They also spent time on Capitol Hill, meeting with Senator Deb Fischer and Congressman Adrian Smith.
    The students were inspired by extraordinary exhibits found in the Smithsonian Museums, including the Hope Diamond and the Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer. They also visited Gettysburg and Mount Vernon, as well as the National Holocaust Museum.
    Youth Tour was born from a speech at the 1957 NRECA Annual Meeting by then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson. He was a longtime advocate of electric cooperatives, having lobbied for the creation of Pedernales Electric Cooperative in 1937 as a young politician in Texas.
    “If one thing comes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents,” the future president said.
    The Youth Tour experience provides students with a chance to see history come to life; the tour also gives them an opportunity to connect with other student leaders just like them from across the country.
    Tucker Stagemeyer, of Page, Neb., was selected as Nebraska’s Youth Leadership Council member. He was sponsored by the North Central Public Power District.
    “I was fortunate to be sponsored by my local power district, North Central PPD, and the NREA for a trip to DC that will truly never be forgotten,” he said. “Seeing our nation’s capital is something that all Americans must see in their lifetime.”
   Stagemeyer said he was moved by walking on the marble and stone of iconic monuments such as Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson.
    “Whether it was speaking to a Vietnam veteran outside the Vietnam Memorial at night, or listening to the playing of taps while overlooking Arlington National Cemetery during the changing of the guard, I felt a deeper sense of patriotism than ever before,” he said.
    Youth Tour is just one of the ways the Nebraska Rural Electric Association is investing in our future leaders. Nebraska’s public power districts and electric co-ops do so much more than provide safe, reliable and affordable power—we are dedicated to improving the futures of students in our community because we know they are next in line to lead the way.