For more than 60 years, the electric and telephone cooperatives of Illinois have given tomorrow’s leaders the opportunity to learn from today’s public officials. On March 5, approximately 200 high school students from across rural Illinois represented 22 co-ops during Youth Day, including 9 from Wayne-White Electric Cooperative.
“Youth Day offers students from across the state a firsthand experience of democracy in action as they engage with their elected representatives in Springfield,” said Brooke Gross,
member services manager at the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives and facilitator of its youth programs.
In addition to meeting elected officials, the students also learned more about their electric or telephone cooperative’s role in their own communities and had the opportunity to tour the Capitol Building and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
State Senator Terri Bryant and Representatives Dave Severin and Patrick Windhorst met with students representing Wayne-White Electric. These students included: Torrie Rider and Jovie Wagner of Carmi-White County High School, Eli Koertge and Adriel Short of Edwards County High School, Grady Simpson of Fairfield Community High School, Canaan Cole and Greyson Goebel of NCOE High School, and Caleb Young and Cadence Zemeskas of Wayne City High School.
During lunch, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs addressed the students. He shared his journey from a small town in Illinois to his current role, emphasizing the importance of finding interesting and challenging opportunities.
Participants also met Paris Van Dyke, the 2023-24 Illinois Youth Leadership Council representative, who was sponsored by Wabash Communications CO-OP during the 2023 Youth Day and Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. She spoke about her experiences representing Illinois’ electric and telephone cooperatives.
In addition to Youth Day, Grady Simpson and Torrie Rider were also selected to participate in Youth Tour, an annual trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Illinois cooperatives. This year’s trip will be held June 16-23. They will represent Wayne-White Electric on the weeklong trip and meet their elected officials, see historic sites, learn firsthand how cooperatives work and gain valuable leadership skills.
