Episode 2: Katie Deller - Empowering Youth Through Supervised Freedom

Two years ago, David Wahl was a quiet kid from Gaylord who almost didn't apply for a trip to Washington D.C. He did. And it changed everything. In Episode 2 of Inheriting the Future, we sit down with the woman behind that experience — Michigan Youth Tour Director Katie Deller — and ask her about the cooperative principles that power rural Michigan, the history of a movement that refused to leave small towns behind, and what it means to invest in young people who don't yet know what they're capable of.About Katie Deller:Katie Deller is the Member Engagement Director at the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) where she serves as the Director of the Michigan contingent of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Washington DC Youth Tour. Each year she selects, prepares, and mentors a cohort of high school students from rural Michigan communities for a transformative week in the nation's capital — connecting them to their government, their history, and their potential. She is credited with revitalizing the Youth Tour in Michigan following the pandemic and has spent her career championing the cooperative principles of Education & Training and Concern for Community. Her work has quietly shaped the lives of dozens of young people across rural Michigan every single year. Learn more about Katie and the NRECA's Youth Tour at: https://www.electric.coop/our-organization/youth-programs/about-the-youth-tour.