The Washington Youth Tour was hands down the best experience of my life. It brought so much
realization to how this country works and functions. You always hear about the Supreme Court or the
White House, but to actually experience it and walk inside them was life changing. Getting to talk with
senators and be in the same room as them was monumental. I’ve always heard about Washington and all
the attractions, but without the Washington Youth Tour, I would have never gotten to explore the
country’s capital and gain such an in-depth understanding of how everything works.
Hometown Living At Its Best 111
Tyler Summerall, Altamaha EMC Georgia delegate
where we were going, they allowed us to explore. We walked
around Union Station for a couple of hours and then went on
a monument tour.” The group visited MLK, FDR, Jefferson
and WWII Memorials. “My favorite was the Jefferson
Memorial. You could see it all lit up from across the Potomac
River. It was beautiful.”
The second day began at Arlington Cemetery. “We
watched the changing of the guards and actually got to lay a
wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” said Kenlee.
“Arlington Cemetery is filled with headstones on these
rolling hills as far as you can see. You know how many lives
were lost, but until you’re standing right there in the middle
of it looking at the thousands of headstones thinking about
what they gave, you can’t really put it in perspective.”
From the cemetery, delegates were taken to the Lincoln
Memorial, the Korean Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans
Memorial. “The Lincoln Memorial was so much bigger than
I imagined,” said Kenlee. “I had seen it in pictures, but you
can’t imagine how big it is until you’re standing beside it.”
Delegates had lunch at the Kennedy Center before
heading to the National Archives. “The security there is
crazy,” said Kenlee. “Only about ten are allowed in at a time
so they can keep an eye on every single person. We got to
see the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
It was really neat to actually see the signatures of our
forefathers.” That night, delegates enjoyed a performance of
Beauty and the Beast at Toby’s Dinner Theater.
On the third morning of the Washington Youth Tour,
delegates from across the nation came together for breakfast
and “pin trading.” “Each state has pins or stickers to trade,”