There may be no better example of the cooperative principles—Education, Training and Information and Commitment to Community—than the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. Impacting the lives of young people is extremely important to the cooperative community. The mission of the youth programs sponsored by local electric cooperatives is built on the belief that textbooks and lectures alone are not enough to help young people understand the democratic process and gain the skills necessary to become tomorrow’s leaders. Rather, today’s teenagers also need an opportunity to experience government first-hand by visiting the nation’s capital and engaging in interactive workshops and discussion.