NEW LONDON — Firelands Electric is pleased to announce that Abbie Durbin and Brett Carnegie will be representing the cooperative on the 2022 Youth Tour to Washington D.C.
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Youth Tour is back. Sponsored by Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, Firelands Electric, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, this all-expenses-paid trip will take place June 18 to 24.
Abbie Durbin and Brett Carnegie will join approximately 40 other students from rural electric cooperatives across the state of Ohio as they tour the sights in and around our nation’s capital.
The daughter of Joe and Angela Durbin of Plymouth, Abbie is a senior at Plymouth High School. She plans to attend Tiffin University next fall and pursue a degree in criminal justice and forensic psychology. Her ultimate career goal is a future with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.
Brett is the son of Ron and Kendra Carnegie of Loudonville. He is a junior at Loudonville High School and also attends the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center, where he participates in the robotics and advanced manufacturing program.
Brett is also currently part of the tool and die apprenticeship program at Schaeffler Group of Wooster. He plans to earn a degree from the University of Akron and become an Ohio certified journeyman.
The annual Youth Tour program gives children of members a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in an in-depth look at Washington, D.C. Participants have the chance to visit sites such as the U.S. Capitol, Gettysburg, the Smithsonian Institution, the Vietnam Memorial, the Kennedy Center, the Supreme Court Building, and many others.
Through educational and sightseeing activities, students gain a personal understanding of American history and their role as citizens. They also meet and interact with their U.S. representatives and senators.
While groups are organized at the state level, Firelands’ delegates will also meet students from other cooperatives across the country for Youth Day. At this event, they will hear featured speakers who provide insight into the important roles that electric co-ops play in their communities. In all, nearly 2,000 students participate in Youth Tour each year.
Students may also be chosen to represent their state on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Youth Leadership Council (YLC). One student from each state is selected to come back to Washington, D.C., in July for a leadership workshop that focuses on the electric cooperative industry.
Firelands’ Youth Tour contest is offered to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who reside in a home served by the cooperative. Candidates are evaluated on school and community activities, demonstrated leadership, and a letter of recommendation.
Up to two applicants are then chosen to represent the co-op on the annual tour. To learn more about Firelands’ youth programs, visit www.firelandsec.com/youth-programs.
