6 students from high schools in SVEC’s service area spent a week in the nation’s capital as delegates of the 2023 Washington Youth Tour. Sarah Reel from Bledsoe County High School, Livia Benefield from Grundy County High School, Dakota Blevins from Marion County High School, Samuel Herron from Sequatchie County High School, Kenyan King from South Pittsburg High School, and Rylie Smith from Whitwell High School joined other students from across Tennessee on the weeklong trip that began on Friday, June 16.
SVEC Washington Youth Tour Delegates in front of Monticello on June 19th, 2023.
From left to right: Sam Herron (SCHS), Dakota Blevins (MCHS), Kenyan King (SPHS), Sarah Reel (BCHS), Rylie Smith (WHS), Livia Benefield (GCHS).
This annual event is sponsored by Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. The students were selected for the trip by writing a short story titled “Co-ops Connect” that explains how co-ops connect Tennessee communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more.
Mike Partin, SVEC President/ CEO, said that youth tour delegates are the future leaders of the region. “Through the Youth Tour, these young people are given an extraordinary chance to explore history and public policy in a direct way, cultivate their leadership skills and acquire knowledge that will be valuable for their communities down the road.”
“The Washington Youth Tour is more than just a trip,” said Todd Blocker, vice president of member relations for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and tour director. “It’s a transformative experience that ignites a love of history, inspires leadership and empowers young minds to shape the future. By witnessing awe-inspiring monuments, engaging with our nation’s leaders and connecting with a community of peers, youth tour can cultivate a lifelong passion for active citizenship.”
While in Washington, D.C., Tennessee’s Youth Tour delegates saw the White House and memorials to past presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as monuments honoring the sacrifices of veterans of World War II and the Vietnam and Korean Wars. During visits to the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, the touring Tennesseans saw and experienced natural, historical, and artistic treasures. Other fun stops included historic homes of former presidents — George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello — as well as the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the Washington National Cathedral, and a boat cruise down the Potomac River. The group also paid a solemn and sobering visit to Arlington National Cemetery where the delegates laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Delegates were welcomed to the U.S. Capitol by Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, as well as other members of the Tennessee congressional delegation. The students had the opportunity to take photos with them and ask them questions.
“Investing in these young people not only nurtures their potential but is an investment in the future of rural and suburban Tennessee,” said Mike Knotts, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “It is exciting to consider the impact that these talented young people will have on their communities, and electric cooperatives are honored to support their academic journeys.”
The Washington Youth Tour was inspired by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1957 when he encouraged electric cooperatives to send young people to the nation’s capital. Since then, more than 6,000 young Tennesseans have participated in the Washington Youth Tour as delegates.