Thursday, May 30, 2019

DC Munchie Cooperative - Quality Snacks at an Affordable Price!


Youth Tour is many (MANY!!) things including an opportunity to see all kinds of sites in DC,  a chance to meet with our elected officials, occasions for students to network with others from all over the country and the ability to walk away with a greater understanding of our role as an American citizen.

Did you know that Iowa Youth Tour offers students the chance to be hands on when it comes to running a cooperative? Iowa Youth Tour forms and runs our very own cooperative, which will provide drinks (other than water – H20 is readily available and free for the students!) and snacks for our Youth Tour participants. This project is educational and practical and accomplishes two things. First, it provides drinks/snacks at discount prices (everything in Washington is so expensive) and it teaches everyone about starting and operating a cooperative and being a co-op “member owner.”

Our co-op is very similar to your electric or other local member-owned cooperatives. The main difference is that our co-op will provide pop, Gatorade and snacks for the co-op members (us) – while we are on the trip.

If you are one of the fortunate ones going on this year’s trip, get involved in YOUR cooperative! Watching from afar? Check out our social media platforms and follow us!


Shelly York
Iowa Youth Tour Director


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Tuesday, May 21, 2019

You’ll want to read this!


We surveyed some of the best Youth Tour minds out there and came up with some advice for the newest crop of YTers!

Ready? Here ya go!
  1. Know the rules and stick to them!
  2. Be on time! Every time.
  3. Make sure you have the Grupio app downloaded (it has our schedule) and you are part of our Remind group!
  4. On Facebook? Join the 2019 Iowa Youth Tour group (parents welcome!)
  5. Keep hydrated in DC! We will have water available. We keep a couple coolers on the bus full of cold water and will be pushing you to drink water all day, every day.
  6. Arrive for Youth Tour well rested and be prepared to WALK! The average day goes from about 7 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m. Yes, this is a long day, and you will be on the go a lot, however, no one ever wishes they had slept more during Youth Tour.
  7. If you don’t feel well, tell a chaperone. There are two nurses on call 24-hours a day during Youth Tour.
  8. Wear comfortable shoes – we cannot say this enough!
  9. Know your number! All students will get assigned a number. All you have to do is remember your number (it is listed in our app). Each time we leave someplace we count off.  Never left anyone behind … don’t plan to this year either!
  10. Get to know everyone! There are NO cliques on Youth Tour!
  11. Talk to the chaperones. They are awesome! And, they have connection that might be very helpful when you are looking for an internship or even a job!


Shelly York
Iowa Youth Tour Director


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Check us out on Snapchat: iowayouthtour

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

No place better to start than from the beginning


For those of us that are intimately familiar with Youth Tour, we often forget that not everyone is up to speed on the ins and outs of this incredible program. So, this little history lesson is for YOU!

Iowa Youth Tour 1958 at the White House
Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson inspired the Youth Tour when he addressed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Annual Meeting in Chicago in 1957. The Senator and future president declared, “If one thing comes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”

US Capitol
Consequently, some Texas electric cooperatives sent groups of young people to Washington to work during the summer in Senator Johnson’s office. In 1958, Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives (YES! IOWA!) sponsored the first group of 34 young people on a week-long study tour of our nation’s capital. Later that same year, another busload came to Washington from Illinois. The idea grew and other states sent busloads of young people throughout the summer. By 1959, the “Youth Tour” had grown to 130 students.

In 1964, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association began to coordinate joint activities among the state delegations and suggested that co-op representatives from each state arrange to be in Washington, D.C., during Youth Tour week. The first year of the coordinated Tour included approximately 400 young people from 12 states. Word of the program has continued to spread and today, more than 1,900 students and over 250 chaperones participate in the Youth Tour every year.
Youth Tour directors from each state association arrange their delegation’s visits with their congressional delegation and other educational and sightseeing activities. In addition to the planned state activities, the Youth Tour experience encompasses multi-state activities coordinated by NRECA.

Good company! Youth Tour alumni have gone on to design airplanes, to lead companies (ummm … like Tim Cook of Apple Inc.!) and to serve in the highest ranks of our government, including the U.S. Senate. Don’t be surprised if you run into a former Youth Tour participant who is a congressional aide on Capitol Hill. While several of our alumni work in Washington, you will find even more alumni in your own community.

Shelly York
Iowa Youth Tour Director


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Check us out on Snapchat: iowayouthtour