WashingtonYouth Tour

builds bondsthat last

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ashington Youth Tour (WYT)delegates get so much out of

the weeklong experience—visits tomany historic locations, lessons inleadership and team-building oppor-tunities, not to mention an all-ex-penses-paid trip to the nation’scapital. Although they cherish thememories, one thing that often stayswith the delegates longer is the closebonds they develop.

“When you don’t know anybody,you make friends fast,” says CourtneyBearrentine, a 2012 delegate fromGrady EMC in Cairo. “Fast friends arenot always forever friends, but withWYT, somehow they are. It’s thecommon experience that createsthose strong bonds.”

Ashley Thompson (2008 Snap-ping Shoals EMC, Covington) recallsfearing she’d be lost in the shufflewhen she moved into her dorm tobegin her freshman year at the Uni-versity of Georgia in Athens. “I wasincredibly blessed that Lindsay(Peavy) Drew (Ocmulgee EMC, East-man) was randomly assigned to thedorm room next to me. What startedout as friendship on the tour turnedinto a lifelong bond. I’m grateful thatYouth Tour gave me that connectionto spark a friendship in a placewhere I knew very few people.”

Two other 2012 delegates devel-oped more than a friendship. TylerDay (Rayle EMC, Washington) andSarah Kate Miles (Satilla REMC,Alma), who met on the tour, are en-gaged. Day attends UGA while Milesis a student at South Georgia State

College in Waycross, so the odds ofthem ever meeting otherwise are re-mote. Their wedding is planned forspring 2017.

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WashingtonYouth Tour

builds bondsthat last

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Top left: Ethan Sisk, of Sharpsburg, and Edward Legaspi, of Fayetteville, representedCoweta-Fayette EMC on the 2014 Washing-ton Youth Tour. Above: Edward and Ethan tourthe Lincoln Memorial, a favorite stop formany delegates.

Above: Enjoying abrief respite from theD.C. heat, Ethan andEdward take in theshady WashingtonNational Cathedral exterior—a lovely backdrop for burgeoning friendships. Above, right: Thetour always includes time for fun! Here, delegates cruise the Potomac River at sunset withtheir counterparts from North Dakota.

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Washington Youth Tour2015 tentative itinerary

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January 2015 Coweta-Fayette EMC Newsletter 26A

June 11: Kickoff banquet, Atlanta Airport Marriott, AtlantaJune 12: Team-building activities; flight toWashington, D.C.June 13: Tour and lunch at Mount Vernon; din-ner at Union Station; evening guided tour ofFDR, Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., WorldWar II memorials; photo op of White HouseJune 14: Guided tour of Lincoln, Korean Warand Vietnam Veterans memorials; ArlingtonNational Cemetery guided tour; dinner per-formance of “1776” at Toby’s Dinner Theatrein Columbia, Md.June 15: All States assembly; tour Smithson-ian museums; cruise on Potomac River.June 16: Tour Supreme Court, U.S. Capitol andWashington National Cathedral; Sunset Paradeat U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jimastatue)June 17: Meet with Georgia’s congressionaldelegation; tour Newseum and Madame Tus-sauds Wax Museum; All States farewell eventJune 18: Return flight to Atlanta

Note: Itinerary subject to change

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The 2014 Washington Youth Tour

Above: Washington Youth Tour delegates fromGeorgia’s 3rd Congressional District meet withU.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland. Left: Ethan and Edward pause for a photo at the Little WhiteHouse in Warm Springs.

In their own words …In their own words …

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Which tour stop or activity made thegreatest impression on you?

What lesson learned from the Washington YouthTour will serve you best in life?

Do you think the Youth Tour will help youbecome a better leader?

Cecelia Giangacomo, Coastal Electric, Midway.In meeting with U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, I saw a different sideof our representatives on Capitol Hill. He was humble andhonest, and his goal was to work with all congressmen, nomatter what their political standing. My only hope is that mygeneration has representatives like him.

Edward Legaspi, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Newnan. MountVernon. Whether it was learning about George Washington’smansion or speaking to a character, the history was justamazing. Like . C

Cole Madray, Satilla REMC, Alma. We visited the Viet-nam Veterans Memorial on Father’s Day. It was very movingto see all the wives, sons, daughters, friends, brothers andsisters there, laying their roses and letters. Like . C

Sarah Roberson, Middle Georgia EMC, Vienna. From the pictures on the wall to the shoes, the HolocaustMemorial Museum was filled with devastating news and im-ages from this tragedy. The museum makes everyone awarethat something like this should never happen again. Like . C

Edward Legaspi, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Newnan.I learned to do things out of my comfort zone. Before, I wasquieter and more reserved and never dreamed of introducingmyself to almost 109 people, but this tour gave me that op-portunity, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Like . C

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Emily Hill, Georgia EMC, Tucker/Planters EMC, Millen.I learned to stop looking at my generation as a “lost genera-tion.” I saw teens my age passionate about being the bestteens we can be, which boosted my hope for my generation.Like . C

Je’Marcus McDaniel, Canoochee EMC, Reidsville.I learned a lot about being tolerant of others and their differ-ences, what it takes to be a good leader and the importanceand joys of learning about our nation’s history. Like . C

Luke Gamble, Irwin EMC, Ocilla. Yes. This trip gave mean incredible opportunity to strengthen my leadership skillsthrough the many team-building games and the opportunitiesto communicate with complete strangers. Like . C

Edward Legaspi, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Newnan. Yes, itallows people with leadership potential to shine. Whetherthey are already social and showcasing their skills by leadinga group of strangers, or they are introverts learning to get outof their shell, the youth tour helps build leadership.

Laiken Owens, Amicalola EMC, Jasper. One of the manyleadership skills I learned on the tour was that to be a goodleader, you must first be a good listener. Like . C

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U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson welcome thedelegates to Capitol Hill.

When I volunteered to help chaperone more than100 of Georgia’s best and brightest teenagers to D.C. for aweek, I said, “How hard could it be?” Meanwhile, a littlevoice inside me warned I might have bitten off more thanI could chew. I thought, “They want me, Amy Lott, to beresponsible for wake-up calls, room checks and punctu-ality?” And secondly, with growing concern, “That’s a lotof teenage hormones …”

I would soon find out, however, that not only wouldthe much-beloved Washington Youth Tour prove to beone of the most challenging experiences of my life, butalso one of the most rewarding and inspiring.

The purpose of the tour is to help EMCs nationwidepromote stronger communities by giving young peoplethe ability and desire to make meaningful, lifelong contri-butions as leaders. Another key component is to teachstudents to appreciate diverse points of view and acceptdifferent social, racial and cultural backgrounds.

My personal takeaway from this beautiful whirlwindtrip, besides being blown away by all the moving andfascinating aspects of D.C., was the realization that weshould have no worries about this future generation ofleaders. Against this amazing backdrop of history, I sawan energetic, bold, kind, reverent, responsible, empow-ered, charming group emerge as a fully fused family.They were bursting with ideas, songs and intentions.They said “Yes, ma’am” and “No, ma’am” religiously. Yes,they took countless selfies, but they also embraced differ-ences, accepted challenges and remembered sacrifices.I saw my country’s capital through their eyes—fresh, andwithout cynicism.

So, despite my nervousness and the miles of walkingin blazing sunlight through swampy humidity, I cameaway with a new appreciation for my country and theWashington Youth Tour itself, a program I’ve coordinatedfor five years but never fully grasped. I soaked it all in,bonded with my fellow chaperones and mothered thedelegates. But most important, I came to understandthese teenagers have a lot to offer if we will only pay at-tention—what bright lights they will be in this world!

I survived Washington YouthTour 2014 … and loved it!

What advice would you give to future YouthTour delegates?

Do you think participation on the Youth Tour willhelp you grow as a person?

Grace Essien, GreyStone Power, Douglasville. Absorbevery opportunity you’re given. Take lots of pictures, but re-member to learn about the events that shaped our nation intowhat it is today. Like . C

Ethan Sisk, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Newnan. Make sureyou talk to your fellow delegates. You don’t need to try tomeet everyone, but the trip is really fun if you make friendswith a few new people. Like . C

Kitty Shepherd, Planters EMC, Millen. Jump in headfirstthe moment you get there and don’t come up for air. Stay inthe moment the entire week. WYT 2014’s motto was “Sleepwhen you get home.” You will not regret it for one moment.Like . C

Ethan Sisk, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Newnan. I think theYouth Tour will help me grow as a person because it taughtme important social skills and gave me a sense of maturity.

Danielle Diehl, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Young Harris.I met people on the tour from many backgrounds who ex-celled in a number of different areas. It helped me grow as aperson by meeting them and realizing that everyone hassomething they can teach you. Like . C

Sarah Wilcox, Flint Energies, Reynolds. Absolutely! It hasreinforced the idea that it is better to push myself out of mycomfort zone than to live in ignorance inside of it. Like . C

January 2015 Coweta-Fayette EMC Newsletter 26C

By Amy Lott, Coweta-Fayette EMC Communications Coordinator

A chaperone’s perspective

Coweta-Fayette EMC Communications Coordinator Amy Lott (frontrow, third from left) bonds with fellow chaperones during the trip.

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�Participating in the Washington Youth Tour (WYT) oftenopens delegates’ eyes to potential career paths. Some-times, they find a job with one of Georgia’s electric coop-eratives, which sponsor the tour. Three former WYTdelegates who followed that path answer this question:

What Washington Youth Tour lessons havestayed with you and now help you in yourwork with an electric cooperative?

All the delegates became friends so easily, and wewere made to feel like we were part of a family. That isalso what I recall from my past experience working atCarroll EMC during college and it is true today. Coopera-tive employees—within their own cooperative or with an-other from across the state—share a special camaraderieand relationship.

Cooperative employees strive to make their communi-ties the best places to live and work and feel it is our dutyto be responsible citizens and give back to our communi-ties. Our world would be a better place if everyone heldfast to these values.

Participated: 2001, representing Carroll EMC (CEMC), CarrolltonCurrent job: Administrative assistant in Engineering and Operations,CEMC; also worked at CEMC while attending college

Kelly McEwen Participated: 2001, representing Georgia EMC, Tucker, and WashingtonEMC, SandersvilleCurrent job:Member services representative, Sawnee EMC, Cumming

Charlie Durden

Before I participated in the WYT, at the age of 17,my life revolved around school, church and sports. Bythe time I started my senior year of high school after re-turning from the trip, the WYT had given me a moreguided focus on the things I wanted to do with my life.After the events of Sept. 11 (we were the last tour groupbefore 9/11), I felt a stronger sense of responsibility andthe need to be a good steward to my community, just asthe pioneers of the electric membership cooperativeswere to the communities they served at the dawn of theRural Electrification Administration.

I now get the great opportunity to meet the tour del-egates we send to Washington, D.C., each year. I enjoylearning of the experiences each had on the trip.

Participated: 2007, representing Blue RidgeMountain EMC, Young HarrisCurrent job:Member services representative,Amicalola EMC, Dahlonega office

Leah Tritt Johnson

The Youth Tour helps the youngergeneration with public speaking, re-sponsibility and time-managementskills, and gives small-town students the chance to travelsomewhere they may never get to see or go otherwise.

I was extremely shy and attended the smallest schoolin the state, Woody Gap School in Suches. For me, it wasa lot of firsts: first time flying, first time traveling fartherthan a surrounding state and the first time being aloneon a trip without my family. But the Youth Tour givesyou a chance to create a new kind of family … a one-of-a-kind connection with youth across the state and eventhe country. I created a special bond with the Georgiagroup and love being able to see where they are now.

As a member of Amicalola EMC’s Youth Tour Selec-tion Committee, I interview and evaluate applicants. Ihope that one day my husband, John, and I can go backto Washington, D.C., as chaperones.

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From delegate to co-op employee

�About the 2014 delegatesof the 65 who submitted survey responses …

43 are members of the National Honor Societyand/or Beta Club

31 had never flown in a plane before the WYT19 are members of 4-H17 had a family member participate in a previous

WYT14 are members of FFA

The Holocaust Memorial Museum was the tour stopor activity that left the most lasting impression.

26D 1 Coweta-Fayette EMC Newsletter GEORGIA MAGAZINE