Hi! My name is Geralyn Haney, and I was named one of PEC's representatives for the 2022 Oklahoma Youth Tour. Additionally, I was elected the 2022 Youth Leadership Council Representative for the State of Oklahoma. Because of this, I partner with PEC and OAEC, doing different activities throughout the year, and will attend the NRECA annual meeting on March 3-8, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
So what better way to spend a Friday than at People's Electric Cooperative, participating in #FUNFRIDAY for National Co-op Month? Since the theme for the 28th of October is “Decades Day,” I decided to dress up from the 50s. I love this period and the aesthetic that centers around it. Did you know that Youth Tour was thought of and introduced during the 1950s? In 1957, Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson attended the NRECA annual meeting. He suggested, "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.” Johnson thought America's rural electric cooperatives were the perfect organization to make this opportunity possible. The following summer, a few electric cooperatives from Texas sent teens to Washington D.C. By 1964, about 400 teens from 12 states got to experience our nation's capital firsthand!
Today, 44 states attend Youth Tour, and Oklahoma is one of them! Youth Tour was everything I dreamed of, plus more! I met some great people, saw many breathtaking monuments and museums, took plenty of photos, tried sushi, sang at Capitol Hill (that went well), and even got to dance on a boat! This program taught me so much about not only our government and America but also about myself. I am honored to have been a Youth Tour delegate, and I cannot wait until I get to travel to Nashville!
