Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: Welcome to the Buzz, a podcast by Boone Electra Cooperative. The Buzz is a monthly message to our community celebrating what it means to be a member owner of your local electric cooperative, Boone Electric Cooperative, your co op, our community.
[00:00:26] Speaker C: Welcome back to the Buzz, Zach. I'm Zach Smith, communications specialist at Boone Electric Cooperative. And while we're only a few weeks into the new year, we're already ticking down toward the deadlines for several of the cooperative's youth programs. Joining us today to talk a little bit about cycle Youth Tour and scholarships for high school seniors, Boone Electric manager of communications and member services, Laura Baker and communications specialist Dusty Weider. Laura, Dusty, welcome to the program.
[00:00:51] Speaker A: Hello. Thank you.
[00:00:52] Speaker D: Thanks for having us, Zach.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: So, first things first, as of this recording, there are two weeks left to apply for the Bob Alderson scholarships, which we give out every year, correct?
[00:01:02] Speaker A: We do. We have 13 $2,000 scholarships, one for each school in our service territory, and then we have two at large, which is our college age. If you're returning to college or an adult learner, then there are two opportunities for scholarships there and then a homeschool one or a private school one, not including Father Tolton.
[00:01:27] Speaker C: So 13 of those total that we give out every year? Yes, through Boone Electric's community Trust. How does somebody apply for the scholarship?
[00:01:36] Speaker D: So we have those applications available online on our website, Spoon Electric Co Op under the community tab, scholarships for each of those categories that Laura mentioned. You also require a current transcript and a copy of the their most current FAFSA submission, along with a response to this year's prompt.
[00:01:56] Speaker C: Okay, and what is this year's prompt?
[00:01:58] Speaker D: So this year's prompt, we change it every year. This year is think about someone you admire as a great leader.
This could be someone famous figure or someone in your everyday life who inspires you, who is a leader that has made a big impact on you, and why do you look up to them? What qualities or actions make them a true leader in your eyes?
And how have they influenced the kind of leader you want to become?
[00:02:21] Speaker C: And for more information on those scholarship applications, students can visit us online. Like Dusty said, It's boonelectric co op communities scholarships. And those are due January 30, 2026, by 5pm Central time. If you're a high school sophomore, junior, you have a little bit more time left to apply for the next few programs that we're going to talk about. But before we get into the application process, let's talk exactly about what cycle is.
[00:02:47] Speaker D: All right, so cycle is a youth leadership experience for our sophomores. Our statewide association hosts that in Jefferson City. It's a four day experience. You learn about leadership and our local government get to visit the Capitol and I think they still visit the prison. And it's a really cool experience right there in Jefferson City.
[00:03:06] Speaker C: It sort of came from the idea of Youth Tour. Right. But it's, it's a sort of a miniature youth tour just for Missouri cooperative students or delegates, I guess I should say.
[00:03:16] Speaker D: That's right. It's. It's based kind of on the Youth Tour experience at a local level.
[00:03:21] Speaker C: That program has grown so much. I think it's been going on for a little over 20 years. And I think it was last year was the first year they added another day. They go to St. Louis for a little bit. You mentioned the Penitentiary tour, which was always a big highlight. And then I think kind of depending on the timing and what else is going on in the capital, probably the biggest thing that they do there as part of learning about state government, the kids spend part of that time working together to kind of craft their own legislation, right?
[00:03:49] Speaker D: That's right. They kind of create their own law per se and debate that on the House floor. It's pretty cool.
[00:03:55] Speaker C: The cycle program for high school sophomores. Laura, would you mind then telling us a little bit about Youth Tour, which is sort of the next step up, I guess if you're a high school junior going into your senior year, you can apply to be a Boone Electric Cooperative delegate. The Youth Tour.
[00:04:11] Speaker A: Yes. So our Youth Tour to Washington. So they go to Washington D.C. from June 14 to June 20 this year. And my goodness, they spend so much time running around D.C. like you'll see all these students just all over the place. And there are from all over the country. So we have pretty much all of the states there. I think Hawaii even comes and has representation.
So it's, it's really neat. They trade pens and of course Hawaii is, is the optimum one to get. But they go to Mount Vernon, they see so many sites and memorials and they just have a great time spending time with each other and they make friendships for life. We've heard of students going on to become Secret Service agents and legislators. And they do get to spend some time with our local legislators in D.C. which is, which is nice. So they see the importance of national government as well. Like we were talking about with cycle with local government. Then they experience national government there. It's just a great time for the students. And they call it, you know, a trip of a lifetime. You really hear it all the time. And we have several who, you know, they're a little apprehensive about, about going and going. Cause some have never gone out of the state before. They've never flown on a plane before. So there's a lot of new things that can be involved in this and it's a great experience all around for them to get some leadership skills, meet new people and get out of their hometown for a little bit and just have a great time.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: It's a pretty incredible program.
[00:05:47] Speaker D: It is, it's a, it's jam packed agenda for the kids. Kind of hit the ground running as soon as the plane lands, you're, you're heading out, seeing the monuments and memorials. It's, it's pretty impressive.
[00:05:57] Speaker C: Both cycle and youth tour, one of the aspects is kind of hearing about government at the state or at the federal level. And I think we've also in years past with some of the groups, they've been lucky enough to hear from a former youth tour delegate who applied through their cooperative to go. They went out there with the Missouri group and then a couple years later the next group is out there and that original delegate is one of our kind of guest speakers talking about how that trip had such an impact on their life that they wanted to do an internship or become a staffer or have, you know, carry on, kind of sets them on this new path for their life that they might not have thought about otherwise.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: The impact it has on these high schoolers is just amazing. They, they have such a great time and really get out of their comfort zone and they're learning so much that yes, it really can change the outcome of what they want to do when they get older.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: I know to many people it probably sounds like, oh, it's another thing that's going to take up my precious time during the summer. And invariably we hear all these same things from the people who go, some of the folks who've been here on the podcast or in the studio. It was incredible. Never dreamed I could have had that much fun. And of course, like you mentioned, trip of a lifetime. What makes this program, other than what we've already talked about, obviously unique to the cooperatives and, and why does our board decide every year? Yeah, we think this is an opportunity worth, worth funding.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: We really want to invest in our youth. I mean they are our future. And so we want to help them understand what cooperatives are, the cooperative difference, how that can impact nationally. I mean we have co ops all over the country. And so without these cooperatives, you know, you don't have electricity to these rural areas, but then you also don't have representation in Congress. And so that's very important that the rural lives are represented. Taking these high schoolers to dc, they get just a small picture of the impact that they can have not only as a student, but as a cooperative member and then coming from Missouri.
[00:08:08] Speaker C: So yeah, if all of that sounds like fun to you and you're listening to this podcast. Applications for Cycle and Youth Tour are online. They're also at Boonelectric Co Op, community/YouthLeadership. If you'd like more information. The material is a little different. I think we need a reference letter instead of a transcript, for instance. But that original prompt that Dusty mentioned is the same. But there is a twist to the Cycle and Youth Tour application as far as that goes this year, right?
[00:08:34] Speaker D: That's right. So taking a step back and looked at the application process, been the same for a few years, and we kind of understand students may be, especially this time of year, not really wanting to write a 250 to 500 word written response to this prompt. So we are giving them an option to submit a two to three minute short video. Just set up your phone, take a little selfie, submit that response. That way we know that there's some students out there that are a little more creative and maybe just don't feel like writing. So we're giving that option this year.
[00:09:08] Speaker A: These both of these programs are all expenses paid, so there is no cost to student to go.
Their plane trip is covered, their hotel is covered, their meals are covered. Only if they want to buy souvenirs. You know, that would be the only expense that they would have. So they really have an opportunity to do something at no cost. So the co ops cover this because again, the investment is in our future in our youth. So that's important for them to know as well.
[00:09:38] Speaker D: For our 10 finalists for the youth tour competition also receive a $500 scholarship for the next year in college.
[00:09:46] Speaker C: That's a great point. So when folks apply to Cycle and Youth Tour, there's sort of a second stage to that, right? As far as how the application process goes, a student goes on, fills out the application, gets all those materials, including their video or their essay together. But then we kind of take that a step further to narrow that field down to 10 finalists. Can you tell us a little more about that, Dusty?
[00:10:10] Speaker D: Yeah. So we take all of the applications, we send them to a panel of judges outside of Boone Electric, and they make the selections for the finalists. The top 10 finalists and then we host a reception and those judges come back and do interviews and make the selection.
[00:10:28] Speaker C: That way, even if you're not selected to go on the trip, if you make it into that top 10, you know you're at least walking away with some money for college.
[00:10:35] Speaker D: That's right. And a little incentive for the teachers out there. If you have a student that gets selected as a finalist, we also offer $50 for their per student for their classroom.
[00:10:45] Speaker C: And there is a set number of delegates that we send to each of these programs, correct?
[00:10:50] Speaker A: Yes. So we send six cycle delegates to Jefferson City and then we send four of the winners for Youth Tour get to go to dc.
[00:11:00] Speaker C: You don't necessarily have to have been chosen for cycle the year before to apply or be selected for Youth Tour the following year.
[00:11:08] Speaker D: Right?
[00:11:08] Speaker C: Or same with the scholarships. You don't need to have participated in either of those programs to apply and potentially win one of the scholarships.
[00:11:15] Speaker A: Not at all. It certainly helps we redact identifying information so it's a non biased application.
[00:11:24] Speaker C: And when is the cycle program this year?
[00:11:28] Speaker A: Cycle is July 14th through 17th this year and then youth tour is June 14th through 20th.
[00:11:35] Speaker C: So if you're interested in applying for cycle or Youth Tour, those applications are due February 28th. Also 2026, 5pm Central Time. Laura Dusty, thank you for joining us today to talk a little bit about the youth programs and the scholarships. It's something that comes by every year like clockwork, but it's always good to let people know, especially when there's a deadline approaching. It's such an odd early time of the year, I'll say.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Hopefully it's cold enough that we get lots of applications and those students can work on that. Get those in.
[00:12:07] Speaker C: So give you something to do during the snow day.
[00:12:09] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:12:10] Speaker C: And thank you for joining us on the Buzz today. Be sure to come back next month and until then we'll see you somewhere down the line.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Thank you for tuning in to the Buzz, a podcast by Boone Electric Cooperative. To subscribe or for more information, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram X and LinkedIn. And of course you can always visit us 247 at Boonelectric Co Op, Boone Electric Cooperative, your co op, our community.
