YEC sends local students on summer youth trips
By Josh P. Crotzer
The view from the bucket of a utility truck looking out over a rural horizon certainly looks different than the view from the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Both, though, are places where local high school students stood and gained new perspectives, along with peers from across the Palmetto State, on life-changing summer trips sponsored by York Electric and South Carolina’s electric cooperatives.
Char McDowell of Clover, Heather Greenwald of Indian Land and Lilly Burke of York were among 57 South Carolina teens who traveled to the nation’s capital in June through the co-ops’ Washington Youth Tour. Ellie Dismukes of York, Peyton Sellers of Tega Cay and Angel Weaver of Fort Mill also joined 42 other high school students for Cooperative Youth Summit in July in Columbia and Newberry.
The Washington Youth Tourists spent six days visiting monuments, museums and memorials. They also went to the U.S. Capitol, where they met with congressional staff. Afterward, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott talked with the students and answered their questions on the Capitol steps.
For Greenwald, the day at the Capitol felt like a glimpse into her future.
“Our tour guide told us that out of all the statues of important people there, there was a space missing for the first female president,” says Greenwald. “When I heard that, I thought that could be me. I have a lot of things in mind that I’d like to do to improve our nation.”
Back in the state capital, Youth Summit students embarked on a four-day exploration of their state government, civic engagement and the cooperative business model. In addition to a visit to the S.C. Statehouse and Gov. Henry McMaster’s office, students had the opportunity to ask questions about current events, as well as state and national politics, with Senator Mike Fanning and Representative Micah Caskey. They toured Newberry Electric Cooperative’s headquarters, where buckets trucks lifted many of them more than 100 feet in the air.
They also participated in a public speaking competition, in which teams developed presentations arguing for and against current political and cultural issues, such as banning TikTok and subsidizing electric vehicles. Sellers’ team, which argued against EV subsidization, won the competition—and a $1,000 prize apiece.
“I really enjoyed all the activities, like riding in the bucket,” says Sellers. “I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in politics or anything else. It was just so fun and there’s so many people who want to go into different things here.”