Be There. Be Heard. Be Inspired. RURAL ELECTRIC YOUTH TOUR. June 11-16, 2016

Transcription

1 Be There. Be Heard. Be Inspired. RURAL ELECTRIC YOUTH TOUR June 11-16, 2016 On Facebook look for: Minnesota Rural Electric Washington DC Youth Tour 2016

2 Minnesota s Youth Tour delegates and chaperones will be staying at the: Hyatt Regency Crystal City 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA Ph: Chaperone Cell Phone Numbers: Chaperones will have their cell phones on at all times, unless we re somewhere where use is prohibited. We will text or return your call as soon as we possibly can. Gayle Karol: Amanda Groethe: Jim Haler: Marcia Solie: Gwen Stevens:

3 Making a Difference Congratulations on being selected to join the cooperative family for this year s Rural Electric Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. This opportunity provides a chance to learn about electric cooperatives and how cooperative principles focus on member service and enhance local communities. At the same time, soaking in the environment at the very center of our national political activities, in our Nation s capital Washington, D.C. What an exciting and important combination! Regardless of your political stripes, what goes on in the political environment affects us all. Electric cooperatives operate in a way that puts member-owners in the driver s seat staying in tune with our political environment is one important aspect of doing so successfully. May you gain insights during this trip that will sharpen your perspective and enhance your resolve as you set out on the opportunities your own life will bring. Oh and try to have some fun, too! Darrick Moe CEO & President, MREA rd Ave. N. Maple Grove, MN

4 Saturday, June 11 9:00 Meet in Bloomington at the Crowne Plaza. Eat a roll, check in, meet your roommates and mingle. 9:15 Orientation meeting 9:45 YLC presentations 10:45 Head for airport (Terminal 2) via lightrail 11:00 Group check-in and security 12:30 Grab lunch 1:40 Depart Southwest flight #5403 Layover in St. Louis 3:05-4:00pm Southwest Flight #5540 4:00-6:55pm 6:55 Arrival - Ronald Reagan International Airport Meet at baggage claim to board bus 7:30 Grocery store stop 8:15 Check in to hotel 8:30 Welcome pizza party at Hyatt 11:00 Lights out All agenda items and times are approximate and subject to change Rural Electric Youth Tour

5 Sunday, June 12 Wear your green t-shirt. Wear comfortable shoes! We ll do a lot of walking today! 7:15 Breakfast 7:30 Board bus 8:00 Guided walking tour of memorials: National WWII Memorial DC War Memorial Vietnam Women s Memorial Vietnam Veteran s Memorial Korean War Veteran s Memorial Lincoln Memorial Martin Luther King Memorial 10:30 Arlington Cemetery Guided Trolley Tour 12:15 Board bus for Smithsonians 12:30 Smithsonians - south side of mall Freer Gallery of Art National Air and Space Museum The Smithsonian Castle Museum of the American Indian Hirshorn Museum See pages 9-10 for museum guide and map. LUNCH ON YOUR OWN: Each museum has a several restaurants to choose from. Students may tour the museums of their choice; However, you must travel in groups of three (3) or more, and you must stay within the perimeters of The National Mall. 3:30 Depart for hotel 4:00 A Place for YOUth in the Cooperative World presentation at the Hyatt - by Adam Schwartz, NRECA Consultant. NRECA is the service organization dedicated to representing the national interests of electric cooperative utilities and the consumers they serve. 6:15 Dinner at Ted s Montana Grill - Announce YLC Rep 7:45 Night tour of Monuments: 911 Pentagon Memorial Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Air Force Memorial Jefferson Memorial 11:00 Lights out All agenda items and times are approximate and subject to change Rural Electric Youth Tour 4

6 Monday, June 13 Road trip day! Wear your purple t-shirt today. 7:00 Breakfast 7:15 Board bus 8:00 Mount Vernon 11:30 Board bus with box lunches 12:30 National Museum of the Marine Corp 3:30 Board bus 5:30 Pizza Party at the Hyatt with other states 7:00 NRECA Youth Night General Session at the Hyatt 11:00 Lights out All agenda items and times are approximate and subject to change Rural Electric Youth Tour

7 Tuesday, June 14 Wear your yellow t-shirt today. 7:15 Breakfast 7:30 Board bus 7:45 Iwo Jima Memorial 8:15 Pictures in front of the White House 9:00 Newseum 10:45 National Archives Smithsonians - north side of Mall National Gallery of Art National Museum of Natural History National Museum of American History See pages 9-10 for museum guide and map. LUNCH ON YOUR OWN: Each museum has a several restaurants to choose from. Students may tour the museums of their choice; However, you must travel in groups of three (3) or more, and you must stay within the perimeters of The National Mall. 3:00 U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum 5:00 Board bus 5:15 Eat at National Place 7:00 Kinky Boots Broadway musical at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 11:00 Lights out All agenda items and times are approximate and subject to change Rural Electric Youth Tour 6

8 Wednesday, June 15 Capitol Day! We ll meet with our Congressional Delegation. Cool, summer business dress. It will be hot outside, but chilly indoors. No food or drinks allowed in Capitol. If you don t need your sling bag, leave it behind or carry a light purse/bag instead. This will speed up security check-ins. (See p. 11 for suggested questions to ask our congressional leaders). 7:15 Breakfast 7:30 Board bus to U.S. Capitol Hill Prepare for security check 8:45 Breakfast with Sen. Al Franken 10:00 Meet with Sen. Ann Klobuchar 10:30 U.S. Capitol Tour 12:15 Lunch at Capitol Visitor Center 1:00 Meet with Rep. Betty McCollum s (4th District) Legislative Assistant Libby Foley 1:30 Meet with Rep. Rick Nolan (8th District) 2:00 Meet with Rep. Erik Paulsen (3rd District) Legislative Assistant Ryan Huff 2:20 Meet with Rep. Tom Emmer (6th District) and/or Legislative Counsel Landon Zinda 2:40 Meet with Rep. John Kline s (2nd District) Legislative Assistant Connor Lentz 3:00 Meet with Rep. Collin Peterson (7th District) 3:30 Meet with Rep. Tim Walz (1st District) 4:15 Board bus 4:30 Souvenir City 5:30 Return to hotel/refresh for NRECA Farewell Party 6:30 NRECA Dinner/Dance/Farewell Party at the Hyatt 10:00 Pack luggage/prepare for morning checkout 11:30 Lights out All agenda items and times are approximate and subject to change Rural Electric Youth Tour

9 Thursday, June 16 Time to head home! 7:15 Breakfast 8:00 Check out, load luggage, board bus 8:30 Arrive at Reagan National Airport for check-in and security 11:40 Depart Southwest flight #456 Layover in Chicago 12:35-2:25pm Southwest Flight #2331 2:25-3:45pm 3:45 Arrival in Minneapolis/Take lightrail to Crowne Plaza 4:15 Parents pick up at Crowne Plaza 2016 Rural Electric Youth Tour 8

10 Smithsonian Museums SOUTH SIDE OF NATIONAL MALL National Museum of the American Indian. The newest museum on the Mall - Listening to Our Ancestors exhibit features ceremonial and everyday objects from North Pacific Coast Native nations including intricately woven and ornamented dance blankets and finely carved and painted masks. Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. The museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, including the Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch, a full-size Hubble Space Telescope test vehicle, and the backup Skylab space station. Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden It was conceived as the United States museum of contemporary and modern art and currently focuses its collection-building and exhibitionplanning mainly on the post World War II period, with particular emphasis on art made during the last 50 years. National Museum of African Art. The museum is dedicated to advancing an appreciation and understanding of Africa s rich visual arts and diverse cultures. Exhibits include Akan gold work and royal regalia from Ghana and Côte d Ivoire. The Smithsonian Castle is the Smithsonian Institution s original home. This distinctive red, sandstone building is centrally located on the National Mall. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (and the Freer Gallery of Art which is closed for renovation) hosts the largest Asian art research library in the county. NORTH SIDE OF NATIONAL MALL National Gallery of Art. The East Building displays contemporary art. Major 20th century artists include Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. The West Building includes European (13thearly 20th century) and American (18th-early 20th century) works. The only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere is here. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is the world s most visited museum. The museum exhibitions include the Hope Diamond, exhibitions on the earliest human origins and the development of world cultures. Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The National Museum of American History collects artifacts of all kinds from First Lady gowns to locomotives to preserve for the American people an enduring record of their past. Students may tour the museums of their choice; However, you must travel in groups of three (3) or more, and you must stay within the perimeters of The National Mall Rural Electric Youth Tour

11 Smithsonian Maps 2016 Rural Electric Youth Tour 10

12 Sample Questions for Congressional Visits 1. Is rural America losing its influence? 2. What has Congress done to make higher education affordable? 3. Experts say our nation s growing electricity needs will soon go beyond what renewable sources, conservation and efficiency can provide. What is your plan to make the electricity we ll need? 4. With all the focus on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, do you see us moving to expand the role of non-emitting energy sources like nuclear power? 5. What is Congress doing to fully fund the research and technology required to make emissions free power plants a reality? 6. Given the current state of the economy, how can we spur economic development in rural areas? 7. The cost of electricity is continually increasing. Proposed EPA regulations will further increase these costs. What is your plan to keep electricity bills affordable? 8. What is the impact of budget deficits on domestic programs? Education? Agriculture? 9. There seems to be a never-ending conflict between Democrats and Republicans. Is this partisanship harmful to the country? 10. Were you always interested in politics? What was your career path to Congress? 11. How do you balance living in Washington, D.C., with representing your rural state/district? 12. What can we do to become better leaders in our community? Rural Electric Youth Tour

13 Capitol Hill Map 2016 Rural Electric Youth Tour 12

14 7 Cooperative Principles Cooperatives around the world operate according to the same core principles and values. 1 - Voluntary and Open Membership: Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination. 2 - Democratic Member Control: Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. The elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are organized in a democratic manner. 3 - Members Economic Participation: Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership. 4 - Autonomy and Independence: Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy. 5 - Education, Training, and Information: Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation. 6 - Cooperation Among Cooperatives: Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures. 7 - Concern for Community: While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members Rural Electric Youth Tour

15 If Separated from the Group If you become separated from the group, follow these instructions: 1. Immediatedly call a chaperone. If you are unable to call a chaperone, call the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Tell the operator that you are a minor and this is an emergency. 2. Once you are connected with the main desk at the hotel, ask for the NRECA Washington Youth Tour Office. Minnesota chaperones will be in constant contact with the Youth Tour Office until you return safely to the hotel. Tell them what happened and let them know your whereabouts. 3. Follow their instructions, be prepared to take a cab to the Hyatt Regency and report directly to the Youth Tour office. You will be reimbursed for the cab fare. 4. If you do not have money for the cab fare, be sure to ask someone at the Youth Tour office to meet you at the hotel entrance with money for the cab. 5. Remain at the Youth Tour office until a Minnesota Youth Tour chaperone arrives Rural Electric Youth Tour 14

16 Code of Conduct 1. Participants may not posses or use alcoholic beverages, drugs or tobacco. 2. Participants may not possess or use weapons such as firearms, fireworks, knives, etc. 3. Participants will be attentive, respectful, responsible, and courteous to all fellow program participants, chaperones, staff, speakers, etc. 4. Participants will respect the rights and feelings of others at all times. 5. Participants will, unless otherwise directed by the tour director, staff, or chaperones, wear name tags at all times. 6. Participants will fully participate in all program activities. 7. Participants will handle public and private property respectfully at all times. 8. Participants will (following nightly room check) remain in their assigned hotel rooms until the time of the next morning s first activity. 9. Participants will not enter the hotel rooms of participants of the opposite gender. 10. Participants will not leave the hotel for any reason unless accompanied by a chaperone. 11. Participants will always travel/sightsee in groups of two or more. No participant may travel/sightsee by him/herself Rural Electric Youth Tour

17 Code of Conduct 12. Participants will, when sightseeing without the direct supervision of a chaperone, return to the designated gathering point on or before the time indicated by the tour director. 13. Participants will immediately report to the tour director any activities/statements made by other participants that may endanger the health/safety of our group. 14. Participants who violate local, state, or federal laws will be immediately turned over to the appropriate legal authorities for prosecution. 15. Participants will follow the dress code indicated in the initial correspondence from the tour director. 16. Participants will abide by any and all verbal and/or written instructions issued by the tour director, staff and chaperones. 17. Participants may not have friends or relatives visit them while touring in Washignton, D.C. 18. Participants who do not abide by the above rules may, at the discretion of the tour director, be sent home in the most expeditious manner possible at the expense of their parent(s) and/or guardian(s) Rural Electric Youth Tour 16

18 2016 Delegates Alex Armstrong East Central Energy Jessica Christoffer Federated Rural Electric Jenna Conzemius Dakota Electric Assn. Taylor Courier Mille Lacs Energy Sarah Crippes Dakota Electric Assn. Talia Crow Arrowhead Electric Aurora Eckberg Wild Rice Electric Ethan Ellinghuysen Tri-County Electric AnnElise Ender Goodhue County Madison Erickson Freeborn-Mower Riley Erlandson East Central Energy Averie Seibert Lake Country Power Rural Electric Youth Tour

19 2016 Delegates Elli Gifferson McLeod Cooperative Emily Haberlack Dakota Electric Assn. Megan Haberman Nobles Cooperative Abigail Hansen Steele-Waseca Lara Hicks Beltrami Electric Megan Hoff Renville-Sibley Emily Hoffman Redwood Electric Kate Koestler BENCO Ashton Krueger Sioux Valley Energy Liesl Larson Dakota Electric Assn. McKenna Larson Traverse Electric Co-op Erin Mayer Dakota Electric Assn Rural Electric Youth Tour 18

20 2016 Delegates Jon Oeltjen Runestone Electric Tyler Pilon Co-op LIght & Power Candi Quant People s Energy Matthew Reff Crow Wing Power Natalie Sellner Brown County REC Brooke Sherer Arrowhead Electric Nicole Sieben Stearns Electric Assn. Karsten Singh Steele-Waseca CE Ashley Smith Todd-Wadena EC Joshua Sweeney Crow Wing Power Yanick Tade South Central Electric Anna VanRavenswaay MN Valley Co-op L&P Rural Electric Youth Tour

21 2016 Delegates Logan Veo Itasca-Mantrap Krystal Viktora Freeborn-Mower Hannah Wiedewitsch Crow Wing Power Mina Yuan Wright-Hennepin 2016 Chaperones Gayle Karol MN Rural Electric Assn. Amanda Groethe Stearns Electric Assn. Jim Haler South Central Electric Marcia Solie Brown County REC Gwen Stevens Peoples Energy 2016 Rural Electric Youth Tour 20

22 Minnesota Congressional Delegation Minnesota Senators The Honorable Amy Klobuchar (DFL) 302 Senate Hart Office Bldg.* Ph: The Honorable Al Franken (DFL) 309 Senate Hart Ofice Bldg.* Ph: Minnesota Representatives The Honorable Tim Walz (DFL-1st District) 1034 Longworth House Office Bldg.** Ph: The Honorable John Kline (IR-2nd District) 2439 Longworth House Office Bldg.** Ph: The Honorable Erik Paulsen (IR-3rd District) 127 Cannon House Office Bldg.** Ph: The Honorable Betty McCollum (DFL-4th District) 1714 Longworth House Office Bldg.** Ph: The Honorable Keith M. Ellison (DFL-5th District) 1027 Longworth House Office Bldg.** Ph: The Honorable Tom Emmer (R-6th District) 503 Cannon House Office Bldg.** Ph: The Honorable Collin Peterson (DFL-7th District) 2109 Rayburn House Bldg.** Ph: The Honorable Rick Nolan (DFL-8th District) 2447 Rayburn House Bldg.** Ph: * All Senators: Washington, D.C ** All Representatives: Washington, D.C Rural Electric Youth Tour

23 Thank You! The Washington Youth Tour is sponsored by Minnesota s Electric Cooperatives and is coordinated by their statewide association: Minnesota Rural Electric Association rd Ave. N. Maple Grove, MN Your t-shirts are sponsored by the Rural Electric Supply Cooperative (RESCO), an MREA Vendor Member. Please send a thank you note to: David Walters, Regional VP RESCO th Ave. S. Moorhead, MN And, of course, please remember to send a thank you to your congressional leaders (addresses on previous page) and rural electric cooperatives Rural Electric Youth Tour 22

24