Youth Leadership Conference

Next week promises to be a fun and exciting week for our 2008 Youth Tour Delegates.
This will be our first opportunity to meet one another. Everyone is excited about making new friends from all over the state of Louisiana. Leadership Conference gives the delegates and the chaperons a chance to get to know one another before we travel to Washington DC in June.

The Youth Leadership Conference will be jammed pack with activities for the delegates. The first night of the conference we will have some get acquainted activities, an overview of the conference, and the Youth Tour Video presentation. Then the delegates will begin to learn about Louisiana Electric Cooperatives as well as other affiliated associations. Once the delegates know a little about electric cooperatives they will have to form their own cooperatives (group project) and they will play a computer simulated game which gives them the opportunity to make operating decisions for that cooperative. Delegates will be served a buffet supper at the conference.

The second day of Youth Leadership Conference delegates start with a buffet breakfast before heading to the State Capitol. We will tour the capitol, Governor Jindal's office, and visit with our Legislators that are available. Students may be able to take photographs with their legislators if they are at the capitol. However they are currently not in session, so the majority will not be there. We continue the day with a tour of the Governor's Mansion, a quick lunch, and then we will travel to New Roads. There the students will tour one of our electric cooperatives, Pointe Coupee Electric, where they will learn about electrical distribution, electrical generation and future careers with electric cooperatives. Upon return to Conference center in Baton Rouge, delegates will enjoy a buffet supper and then continue the computer simulated game of running their own cooperatives.

On the final day of the Youth Leadership Conference, delegates will begin the day with a buffet breakfast. After breakfast, they will have to conduct their cooperatives Annual Meeting where they will report to their membership how well their cooperative performed during the computer simulated year. We wrap up the day with an overview of the trip to Washington DC. Delegates will be given instructions on what to expect from the trip as well as what is expected of them while they are representing the state of Louisiana and their electric cooperatives during this trip. Any questions about the trip will be answered at this time. After the presentation of certificates delegates will be allowed to return home...until we see them again in June!