Engage the Next Generation of Co-op Members, With Lydia Walters and Chris Alexander

The Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi band together to go beyond Youth Tour with their Learn. Grow. Experience. initiative, including Cooperative University.

Notes: Filmed at CONNECT.

Creators and Guests

Host

Andy Johns

Vice President of Marketing

What is The StoryConnect Podcast?

StoryConnect features interviews with marketers, communicators, CEOs and other leaders at cooperative and independent broadband companies, electric cooperatives and municipal power providers. The goal of the podcast is to help listeners discover ideas to shape their stories and connect with their customers. It is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources.

Intro:
A production of Pioneer Utility Resources.

StoryConnect, helping communicators discover ideas to shape their
stories and connect with their customers.

Andy Johns:
What are some ways that you can engage the next generation of
co-op members?

That's what we'll be talking about on this episode of The
StoryConnect Podcast. My name is Andy Johns, your host with

Pioneer, and I'm joined on this episode by Chris Alexander,
who is member services coordinator at the Electric Cooperatives

of Mississippi, and Lydia Walters,
who is the award winning VP of communications over at ECM.

Thank you all for joining me.

Lydia Walters:
Thank you Andy.

Chris Alexander:
Good morning.

Andy Johns:
So we are here at kind of the epicenter of rural electric
communications here at the NRECA Connect

Conference in Kansas City. And I did want to say right off the
top,

congratulations, Lydia on winning our D'Avanzo Communications
Leadership Award.

That was exciting news for us to get out there,
and I was really glad to be able to come by and present that

award in person last week.

Lydia Walters:
Thank you Andy. Thank you for coming and especially thank you for
the award. It was a huge honor.

I'm still a little blown away by it. So thank you very much to
Pioneer.

Andy Johns:
Thank you to somebody else who's on this podcast for kind of
helping with the subterfuge or the,

you know, the secret work of surprising you.

Chris Alexander:
My specialty.

Lydia Walters:
Thank you. Chris.

Chris Alexander:
Of course.

Andy Johns:
We're going to mainly be talking about two projects or two
programs that you guys have.

So tell us a little bit, a little bit right off the top.

You know, the goal is youth engagement.

Getting that next generation of cooperative members engaged.
Lydia, if you don't mind, tell us why that play.

That's something you hear a lot about right now. That's a lot of
folks talking about that young member engagement. Tell us a

little bit about what role that plays overall in the efforts that
you and other co-ops are doing.

Lydia Walters:
Right. So that's a great question,
Andy.

First of all, I like to start out,
we kind of do a three phase program in the state of Mississippi.

And our taglines are also our objectives.

So it's learn, grow, experience.

So we engage the students. They learn about electric cooperatives
at their local cooperative university.

They grow in their leadership skills at our workshop,
and then they experience Washington,

D.C. in the NRECA Youth Tour. So that's kind of the three steps
of our program.

And one of the things that we've really,
I think, tried to do for engagement is to do a lot of hands on

learning with our students.

Andy Johns:
Okay. It's interesting. I know a lot of folks are familiar with
the Youth Tour piece of it,

and I was talking to a communicator at a co-op here yesterday,
and she talked about when she was on Youth Tour.

And so, I think a lot of folks are familiar with that piece.

But the other two pieces of that,
I think folks may not be as familiar with because that's

something that y'all are doing. So Chris,
tell us a little bit about Co-op U.

Chris Alexander:
So Co-op U is a program that the local cooperatives host.

I think 18 of our 22 cooperatives actually hold a Co-op U.

So they invite students in from local communities.

They have relationships with the schools.

They go through the counselors at the schools.

They invite the students to come into to their cooperative. They
host a day event there,

and they call it Cooperative University.

The students come in, they spend the day there learning all about
the local cooperative and the impact that they're making on their

community.

Andy Johns:
Okay. And then, Lydia, tell us a little bit about the workshop
aspect of it as well.

Lydia Walters:
Sure. So we have a workshop. Once the students are selected at
the Cooperative University,

then they come in, it's usually late February or early March.

It's a two and a half day workshop,
and it's all focused on leadership training.

And it's, I always tell the students before they come,
I said, "You're not going to sit in a chair for three days.

You're going to be up and moving." So we have facilitators who
come in,

they lead them in leadership activities,
and then they sit them down,

and they kind of have discussion with them. You know,
what leadership skills did you use?

What might have you used? How could you communicate better?

And so what we see is kind of the program,
that as Chris just talked about,

they learn about the co-op, and then they really learn their own
leadership skills.

The other thing that we do at workshop is we have breakfast with
the legislators,

and we have it in Jackson, and our hotel is about four minutes
from the State Capitol.

So we take them over, they visit with their legislature.

They see the House or Senate that's in session.

So they also get that kind of leadership piece and learn more
about the democratic process at the state level.

Andy Johns:
Excellent. So the big picture with what we're trying to achieve,
what you all are trying to achieve here is I mean,

I imagine it's part recruiting part like,
"Hey, we're a good place to work." It's part,

you know, that the cooperative difference,
kind of explaining to them what the difference is. Chris, when

you're looking at this kind of the bigger picture,
what are the goals when you're you're going about this, when

you're building that curriculum and making it all happen? What
are you trying to achieve with programs like this?

Chris Alexander:
Well, a lot of things. I mean, obviously we want the future
leaders of our state to grow in their leadership

skills. So the other thing that's really important that we focus
on is connection.

So that's another benefit of having the program broken out into
three parts like that,

because the students all come in and meet each other at
Cooperative University, and they immediately start making those

connections and building those bonds with one another. So from
there,

the ones that are selected to move on through the program and go
to a workshop,

by the time they get to workshop,
they've already got friends.

So they spend that time together in Jackson,
those three days, you know,

further establishing those connections.

So by the time we get to DC, they're buds.

I mean this, the selection process –

Andy Johns:
It's the same kind of cohort throughout.

Chris Alexander:
Yes.

Andy Johns:
Okay.

Chris Alexander:
Yes. It starts in the fall. The workshop is held in the spring,
and then we've got that trip in the summer.

So it's a slow burn.

Andy Johns:
Okay. All right. So when you're looking with the group like that,

we talked kind of big picture. Let's get down into the nitty
gritty.

You guys are handling selection or the individual co-ops are
handling selection.

How do you go about picking which kids? Because I imagine it can
get fairly competitive,

if the outreach is good from the local co-ops.

Lydia Walters:
Right. I'll use an example of DC Electric that was the co-op I
worked out before I came to the statewide.

So what we did, and every co-op kind of has their own little
setup.

Andy Johns:
Of course.

Lydia Walters:
It's very similar. But you know,
they each have their own little unique take.

But what we did at Dixie is we would go to our local high
schools.

We had 12 high schools. We'd select three students.

So we would bring them in for the Cooperative University,
and they would spend the whole day,

learn about the co-op, learn about careers in the co-op industry.

They learned a little bit of history,
but it was hands on learning,

as we mentioned before. And so through that,
we would select a top ten.

And then the following day those ten students would come back and
then do an interview with out of town judges who are

normally employees of co-ops.

Andy Johns:
Of other co-ops. That's smart.

Lydia Walters:
So, and then all of the, you know,
some of them do their interviews the same day of,

some do a nighttime cooperative university.

Everybody kind of does it a little bit different. But they are
watching these students.

They're observing their participation along with their interview
skills.

Andy Johns:
Got it. Now, Chris, you said that y'all were working with the
schools, with the counselors. A lot of the kids, I imagine, who

are doing this are the driven kids that are involved in band and
sports and everything else.

How do they fit it in? How are they able to prioritize?

Is that something y'all are working on the schools? Or is it just
summertime and breaks? How does this fit into their their

schedules?

Chris Alexander:
Well, we actually have kind of coached our local cooperatives to
talk to the counselors and say that we don't just want

valedictorian. It's not about a student who's a 4.0.

You know the most what you would traditionally think of.

We want students who are kind. We want students who are smart.

We want students that are leaders in their community.

And like you said, that may mean that they're busy.

But our program has been around for 38 years.

So we have a bit of a reputation,
a good reputation.

So I think that our former students are our biggest advocates.

I know we had an incident this year where we,
the student that we actually chose,

as YLC, told us that some other students are the ones that told
him,

"Hey, no, don't go for that. The cooperative program,
that's the program you want to be involved in." So our program

speaks for itself and you know,
it kind of snowballs once word gets out there,

and they they see the good that our program's doing and the
impact that it's making.

Good news travels fast.

Andy Johns:
Yeah that's right, that's right.

Lydia, how has the curriculum changed or what do you all do
different?

I mean, 38 years, it's quite a run.

What are some of the things that you all do different? Are there
different things that you all go over now? Because it's I mean,

these kids are growing up in a different world than the ones that
that we grew up in.

Lydia Walters:
Right? So that's a great question.

Chris and I actually had this conversation over coffee this
morning,

and it has evolved. We've really been doing the cooperative
university since about 2006.

Prior to that, we had SA interview,
you know, competitions.

But now what we're seeing more is technology,
just like you would expect.

So, you know, we're showing them our high tech dispatch rooms.

We're showing them, you know, not only is the linemen using
traditional gear and traditional PPE.

But he also has, you know, a high tech GPS,
laptop or iPad in his vehicle.

And so we're showing them all of the different aspects and all of
the different careers that they can be involved in,

whether it's computers, engineering,
those type of things.

So, the other thing that I think is a little is,
it's also kind of basic,

but we take it for granted is, and we teach them how electric
power gets from the power plant to their house.

And they actually have to take pipe cleaners and Play-Doh and
build a little electric system in small groups.

And we have so many students, so,
like, I just thought I flipped the switch.

Like, I didn't know where the power came from. And so,
it's teaching them technology,

but it's also teaching the basics to.

Andy Johns:
Sure, and I imagine that's good for the instructors to kind of be
reminded that,

like, not everybody gets all that.

So yeah. Interesting. I've heard,
you know, you mentioned essays a second ago.

I've heard some of the different,
whether it's Youth Tour groups or whatever that with AI coming in

and how are they doing things different.

Have you all shifted anything, Chris,
on the application process?

I mean, do y'all check to see if AI is helping with the
applications?

Do you care? I mean, in some ways it's kind of good that they're
using technology, I don't know.

Chris Alexander:
Sure. Well, yes. I mean, you should be aware of AI and know how
to use it.

However, we don't accept essays on any longer.

So that's been a non-issue for us.

Andy Johns:
Okay.

Lydia Walters:
And that kind of goes back to something we talked about with
engagement. And that was another conversation we were having is

we really feel like I mean, as we know as communicators,
the best way to engage is face-to-face communication,

just as we're doing this morning.

Andy Johns:
Right.

Lydia Walters:
And so we really kind of moved away from the essays and really
tried to do more hands on,

face-to-face learning with these students. Because even the
students that aren't chosen at the Co-op U,

there's a group, you know, out of 35 students,
we would choose maybe three.

So those other 32 students still learned about their cooperative.

They still had a full day of hands on learning.

And we also know the ripple effect of that is they're going to go
home,

and they're going to tell their parents or their grandparents,
"Hey, I learned all these things at the co-op." So it kind of

ripples in the community. So we've just found that that's a
stronger way to really teach them.

Andy Johns:
As we're coming to a close here,
Chris, what are some of the favorite topics that people learn?

I mean, is it the pipe cleaners? What is it that the students go
away,

and it's the ones that are kind of the most buzz worthy things
that people are talking about?

And then, Lydia, I'll ask you the same question.

Chris Alexander:
Yeah, I think it's different for everyone.

Andy Johns:
Okay.

Chris Alexander:
But I mean, again, I hate to beat a dead horse,
but I feel like that the thing that they value the most is the

connections that they make.

Andy Johns:
With each other?

Chris Alexander:
With one another.

Andy Johns:
Yeah. Sure.

Chris Alexander:
Yeah. Because they I think that,
and I know it's so cheesy, but I think that it really broadens

their horizons because a lot of these students are from very
rural areas,

and they've never been outside their county,
their city.

And so for them to go meet people from across the state,
and then across the country at Youth Tour,

they see that there are people out there that are different from
them, and they're still good people.

Andy Johns:
Got it. Makes sense. Lydia, what do you think some of the
highlights are for the students involved?

Lydia Walters:
Well, two things come to mind. One is,
I think it builds confidence in our students.

I've seen a lot of students come through the program,
and they're a little nervous,

and they're a little shy. And by the end of the program,
it really,

you know, they're comfortable doing public speaking.

They're comfortable with an interview. So I think it's a
confidence builder. The other thing, and I think this is

something that I didn't even realize that we were doing until we
did it.

It just, you know, good things happen by accident sometimes.

And that is we really build Mississippi up to our students,
and we really encourage our students to stay in the state.

And so they're meeting their local elected officials.

They, you know, we get to cheer for the [inaudible] when we're at
Youth Tour.

And we really, you know, encourage them to make up a cheer with,
you know,

and they'll come up with all kinds of fun things.

And then we'll have students on their evaluation that said,
I've never thought about really being proud of my state before,

but I'm really proud of my state.

And I think that means a lot. And it's kind of one of those
things I don't think anybody.

Chris Alexander:
Yeah. We didn't sit down and make it a goal for the program.

It just was a happy accident.

Lydia Walters:
Yeah.

Andy Johns:
Perfect. Well, last question for you.

What's some advice – and Lydia we'll start with you,
and then we'll have to Chris. What's some advice you have if

somebody is thinking either I can,
you know, they're listening. I can start a program like this. Or

maybe it's even more basic level,
I need to engage our youth a little bit more.

You know, we can get into advice on chaperoning folks when
you're,

you know, a bunch of teenagers out there,
but, you know, if somebody is thinking about,

I need to do more of this. I need to start a program like this.
What advice do you have for them if they're trying to get

started?

Lydia Walters:
I think a cooperative university is a great way to engage
students.

And so if you're involved in the Youth Tour program,
use it as your selection process.

Chris or I'll be happy to share any information,
agendas, ideas.

Because I think if you can engage those students,
one-on-one, if you can give them hands on learning,

I think it makes a huge difference.

Andy Johns:
Chris, what advice do you have for somebody who's starting at
square one?

Chris Alexander:
Yeah, I would most certainly check into hosting a cooperative
university and building those relationships with your schools.

We use promotional materials that the statewide provides.

We customize it to each local cooperative so that the local
cooperative can give those materials to the schools,

and they can hang posters in the hallway,
have fliers that the counselor will hand out,

to get the word out about the program.

And like I said, once you get the ball rolling,
the program will speak for itself.

Andy Johns:
Got it. Well, thank you all so much for sharing the ideas.

And I think folks will be into that. And hopefully they,
like you said, they can reach out to you if they have any

additional questions.

Lydia Walters:
Okay. Thank you. Andy.

Andy Johns:
She is Lydia Walters. She is Chris Alexander.

I'm your host, Andy Johns. And until we talk again,
keep telling your story.

Outro:
StoryConnect is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources,
a communications cooperative that is built to share your story.