Making the Most of your Time in Washington: The Non-Cliché Advice from my Experiences

This is a reprint from a 2014 blog post, but the information (and advice) is timeless! Dalton went on Youth Tour in 2012 as a student, and as the intern in 2014.

Youth Tour 2012 outside the US Capitol

To: Youth Tour Students of 2014 (and beyond)
By: Dalton Schmit

 

Tomorrow you will get an incredible opportunity. As you get ready to embark on this trip, there are a few things that I want to tell you. I hope you see this advice as something far from cliché or symbolic, but as a serious guide to maximizing the time that you are going to get to spend in Washington. I have nothing to tell you about packing or sleeping – in fact, I’m one of the worst packers in the world and typically I choose to sleep very little, if at all, so my counsel for either would be ill-advised.

 

Embrace where you are at every stop. I do believe that you already understand this, but what is often misrepresented is the depth and importance of doing embracing Youth Tour. Everywhere we go in DC holds some sort of historical, educational, or entertaining value. Inevitably you’re be very tired about midway through the trip – wake yourself up! Youth Tour is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and each individual stop represents one incredible component of that opportunity. There are many things that you don’t want to miss. Be engaged, enthusiastic, and excited. Nobody ever wishes that they had slept more on Youth Tour.

 

Do not limit Youth Tour to one week in DC. While officially the trip is only one week, this is an experience that will last you a lifetime. Take this opportunity to meet the incredible people that will be around you on the trip. You can really cultivate friendships that last a lifetime. Secondly, get to know the chaperones and other Youth Tour staff. Speaking from experience, I can tell you how much the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives and the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Associations values the students they send on Youth Tour. A plethora of incredible opportunities will be presented to you in your post-Youth Tour life, and to make the most of Youth Tour, you should take advantage of them. It’s impossible for me to say just how many doors have been opened by the IAEC and Youth Tour because they have supported me from the beginning. While Youth Tour is an incredible time to meet new friends, it is also a great time to do some networking and engage with students and staff from all across the United States.

 

The best way to take advantage of my previous advice is to be yourself. What will be most appealing to others is you. The true you that defines your passions, personality, and perspectives will be unique and other people will naturally want to get to know you. Don’t worry about being like anyone else. In fact, think about the most interesting people that you know – are they like you or are they different? Most often what we find interesting in others is something that we don’t have in ourselves. It is distinctive and that is why it is interesting.

 

To do any of these things – or to do all of them – comes my final piece of advice on making the most of your time in DC. Step outside of your own comfort zone. From the moment you get to orientation – when you become nervous or shy – go out and meet people. Introduce yourself to your peers who are going on the trip with you. A week is a short period of time, and that’s the only time that you are guaranteed an opportunity to get to know the rest of the student traveling with you, so take advantage of every moment of it.