While Boone Power Youth Tour delegates Akshat Jha and Atharva Sahu, along with employee chaperone Gabe White, got to see national memorials like the Washington Monument this summer, what makes the annual week-long experience unforgettable is building friendships and gaining leadership skills.

For one week this past June, Jha and Sahu joined nearly 60 other Indiana students on Youth Tour — a trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by electric cooperatives from across the U.S. Along the way, they toured Gettysburg and monuments across the nation’s capital, met with elected officials, and gained a new appreciation for the cooperative business model.

For White, a Boone Power staking technician serving as a Youth Tour chaperone for the second consecutive year, watching the growth among the incoming high school seniors is one of the most rewarding parts of the trip.

“The first day, they tend to mostly keep to themselves,” White said. “As the week goes on, they start building friendships, and once they get to Washington, D.C., they begin connecting with students from all over the country. By the end of the trip, they’re more confident in themselves, and many begin asking about careers and internships with electric cooperatives.”

Learning beyond the classroom

Jha, a student at Zionsville Community High School, was encouraged to apply for the trip from friends who had previously participated. He was excited about the opportunity to visit Washington for the first time.

Sahu, who attends Carmel High School, had visited Washington before. 

“What really interested me was the opportunity to meet congressional representatives and ask questions,” he said. “Being able to connect with Senator Todd Young was one of the biggest highlights. I also wanted an experience where I could dive in and build a community with people from completely different backgrounds.”

Discovering the cooperative difference

Before Youth Tour, neither student knew much about electric cooperatives.

Jha said the experience changed his understanding of how cooperatives operate.

“I found it interesting that they are owned by their members,” he said. “Rather than focusing on profits, cooperatives prioritize serving their members and strengthening their communities. This experience showed me that success can also be measured by community impact.”

Sahu appreciated the opportunity to learn more about energy and the different types of electric cooperatives — distribution co-ops like Boone Power and wholesale generation and transmission co-ops like Wabash Valley Power Alliance, from which Boone Power purchases the electricity.

That understanding is exactly why White enjoys serving as a chaperone.

“Growing up, I lived on cooperative lines, but I never had the opportunity to learn about the cooperative world,” he said. “Teaching students about who we are and why cooperatives exist is important because so many people still don’t know our story.”

A new perspective on leadership

For Jha, one of the biggest takeaways was the importance of building relationships.

“I realized how important networking and building relationships can be for future opportunities and my growth as an individual,” he said.

For Sahu, the experience challenged what he thought leadership looked like.

“I realized leadership is really about understanding your own strengths and how they fit with other people’s strengths,” he said. “You don’t have to be great at everything. You can learn how to work together as a team.”

That shift in perspective is one White sees year after year.

“One of the main goals of Youth Tour is to attract, build, and retain the next generation of rural cooperative leaders,” he said. “Students leave more confident, more curious, and more aware of the opportunities available through electric co-ops.”

Representing Indiana

Sahu’s Youth Tour experience didn’t end when he returned home. Several students from across Indiana vied for the state delegate spot at the start of the Youth Tour trip. Through a competitive interview and speech process, Sahu was selected as Indiana’s representative to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Youth Leadership Council.

As Indiana’s delegate, Sahu will spend the next year participating in additional leadership development activities and organizing a service project before speaking at the Indiana Electric Cooperatives Annual Meeting in December and then representing Indiana at NRECA’s Annual Meeting in early 2027.

He said one of the things he is most looking forward to is continuing to learn from leaders across the cooperative network.

Investing in tomorrow

As Boone County continues to grow, White believes programs like Youth Tour have never been more important.

“It’s very important for Boone Power to invest in our youth,” he said. “Youth Tour helps young people understand who we are, why we exist, and that we’re here to serve our members.”

Both students said they would encourage other students to apply. Current high school juniors can apply after Nov. 2 at IndianaYouthTour.com.