WASHINGTON D.C. YOUTH TOUR 2023

Two high school students from the Clarke-Washington EMC area traveled to Washington D.C. for the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in June.

Nour Jabnouni of Washington County High School and Sanaa Thomas of McIntosh High School were selected to represent Clarke-Washington Electric Membership Corporation for the 2023 Youth Tour Program.

This is the first time since 2019 that the Washington D.C. Youth Tour has been held. The Youth Tours in 2020, 2021, and 2022 were all canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour is a group of more than 1,500 high school students who visit Washington D.C., every June from all over rural America. Each electric cooperative selects delegates from their area to at- tend the Youth Tour. Electric cooperatives believe in providing young leaders with a life-impacting opportunity to increase their understanding of the value of rural electrification.

“This opportunity has impacted my leadership skills by helping me be more open to comfortably working and communicating with others,” says delegate Sanaa Thomas.

Delegates visited the Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, Korean War, MLK, Iwo Jima, and FDR memorials as well as the Museum of the Marine Corps during their first day in Washington D.C. They also visited the Washington Monument, Smithsonians and Holocaust Museum, and WWII Memorial where they saw the Alabama monument. They visited Mount Vernon, saw “The Lion King” at the Kennedy Center and enjoyed a night tour of the U.S. Capitol led by U.S. Rep. Barry Moore.

Delegates toured Arlington National Cemetery and participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Honoring and reflecting on the sacrifice of our nation’s greatest heroes by attending these ceremonies was an extraordinary and deeply moving privilege for the delegates.

When asked about her favorite place to visit, Nour Jabnouni said, “The Capital building was my favorite place we visited not only because of the history in the building itself, but because I was able to walk the very same halls that so many great historical figures did before me.”

Nour, Sanaa and the rest of the group were able to catch a Washington Nationals Baseball game in Nationals Park.

“This is a one of a kind experience for our students,” says Sarah Turner, Clarke-Washington EMC communications/youth tour coordinator. “This gives them a new outlook on their local cooperative, broadens their education and allows them to see things they learned about in school. This gives them a chance to get out of their comfort zone and meet other young leaders across the country.”

The Youth Tour has been a joint effort of Alabama Electric co-ops, the Alabama Rural Electric Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association for over 50 years. This opportunity is available to high school juniors in the Clarke-Washington area.

Take us along!

We’ve enjoyed seeing photos from our readers on their travels with Alabama Living! Please send us a photo of you with a copy of the magazine on your travels to: mytravels@alabamaliving. coop. Be sure to include your name, hometown and electric cooperative, and the location of your photo.We’ll draw a winner for the $25 prize each month. Make sure your photo is clear, in focus and not in shadow.

Alabama Living contributors win national awards

Two contributors to Alabama Living were recognized for their outstanding work during the Cooperative Communicators Association’s (CCA) annual awards ceremony in June.

Dennis Auth won a first place award in illustrations for his artwork, “Alabama A to Z,” for the cover of the January 2023 issue. Auth is best known to readers for his illustrations for “Hardy Jackson’s Alabama.”

Writer Emmett Burnett took two awards, a second place in technical writing for “James Webb telescope: the Alabama connection” which appeared in the April 2022 magazine; and a third place for his personality feature, “Eyes on the sky,” on weatherman James Spann in September 2022.

CCA, an organization of 300 professionals who communicate for cooperatives, is the only communications organization dedicated to serving those associated with member-owned businesses.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program continues to grow

Learning outdoors skills – such as rock climbing, camp cooking, shooting sports (including gun safety), fishing, hunting, canoeing, archery and many more – can seem intimidating, especially for women who didn’t grow up exposed to such activities.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, or BOW, is a three-day workshop designed to acquaint women 18 and older with the outdoors in a fun, non-threatening environment.

This year’s event will be Oct. 6-8, but registration opens on Aug. 1 for first-time participants and Aug. 7 for returning participants. Slots always fill fairly quickly.

For more information, including cost and registration, visit outdooralabama.com and click on “activities,” then scroll down to Becoming an Outdoors-Woman or call 800-245-2740.

Support Alabama eateries during Restaurant Week

Alabama Restaurant Week, Aug. 18-27, is a way for locals and visitors to show their appreciation for the state’s restaurants and their staffs. This culinary event unites Alabama’s diverse range of cuisine during the two-week celebration.

The week is marketed by the Alabama Tourism Department, which also produces the popular “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama” listings. The department encourages patrons to dine out and support their local restaurants and offers some other ideas to show their support: buying gift cards, purchasing merchandise, asking small, family-owned places how they can help, and leaving good reviews online and on social media.

Learn more at alabama.travel.