August 27, 2025 • 12 mins
From birth through high school, DEMCO is helping shape the future by investing in young people across the communities we serve. In this episode of Co-op Conversations with DEMCO, host David Latona sits down with Chanon Martin, DEMCO’s Member and Community Engagement Manager, to talk about the many youth programs that connect families to their co-op.
You’ll hear how DEMCO supports early literacy through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, brings hands-on electrical safety education to classrooms, and provides high school students with leadership opportunities like the Youth Cooperative Ambassador Program and the annual Essay Contest. Plus, learn about scholarships, class talks, and other ways DEMCO partners with schools to make a lasting impact.
These programs are more than outreach — they reflect DEMCO’s mission to power life and community, today and for generations to come.
To learn more about DEMCO Youth Programs, visit DEMCO.org/Youth-Programs.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
David Latona:
Welcome to Co-op Conversations with DEMCO,
where we talk about the topics that impact your power, (00:05):
undefined
your co-op and your community. I'm your host, David Latona.
Joining me today, this is exciting, we've got a long time seasoned veteran from DEMCO,
Chanon Martin, DEMCO's Manager of Member and Community Engagement.
(00:28):
Welcome, Chanon. We have so much to talk about today.
Chanon Martin: Glad to be here. (00:32):
undefined
David Latona: Well, we're glad you're here. Now, Chanon, I've seen on our social channels and also through our (00:33):
undefined
communications that we have so many opportunities for youth in our service territory and in the communities
that we serve. Tell us about the youth outreach, and why is that such a priority for an electric cooperative like
(00:54):
DEMCO?
Chanon Martin: Well, DEMCO being your local electric cooperative, we are member-owned. (00:55):
undefined
We are your friends. We are your neighbors.
We're your family. So invested in those youth programs, it helps youth understand the cooperative business model,
and it shows in the value of a member-owned cooperative.
These programs help us develop skills in young people who will go on to become employees of electric cooperatives.
(01:20):
They will be community leaders. It allows us to enrich the lives of the children who live in all of the parishes that we serve.
It's just the way that we power life and community.
David Latona: That is so great. I love to hear that about our investment. (01:32):
undefined
As you know, one of the largest co-ops in the country.
That's exciting. What I read many times in our publication, and also on the radio advertisements for upcoming
youth programs, is that we have an outreach that is such a priority that we start
(01:56):
from birth. Is that even possible?
Can you start a program for young people when they're born?
How does that happen?
Chanon Martin: The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a free book program. (02:02):
undefined
It provides a book each month for children birth to age five, so parents can register children as soon as they are born.
They receive these books that are age appropriate.
They're able to have the excitement early on about reading.
It gives them a chance to connect learning with DEMCO and their electric cooperative.
(02:24):
They get to spend time with their families, and it just fosters this love for reading.
It was the idea when Dolly Parton started this book giving program to bring excitement around reading.
It helps with early childhood literacy, which is a big deal in the state of Louisiana.
It's important to DEMCO. And so we said, let's back these programs up.
And so we've had things that have existed for decades, but we've never had anything that focuses on children as young as
(02:50):
birth to five.
David Latona: That is so exciting. They get a gift once a month in the mailbox from their co-op. (02:51):
undefined
And also, like you said, for them to be excited about reading.
I know a child that's newly born is too young to read it themselves,
but this will encourage those parents to read to your child, and it's just such a great program.
(03:13):
I'm so excited to be a part of DEMCO and so proud that we have that program here.
Chanon Martin: So you mentioned that it's a gift each month. (03:19):
undefined
That's actually one of the things that sparked Dollie. She said to have the children's name on that book,
because when you receive a gift, it's addressed to you.
So each month this child will have a book that has their name.
And so it has this idea of each month you get a gift, and it's just for you because it's personalized with that child's
name on it. It also gives the child the opportunity to build a library that maybe later on in life,
(03:44):
when their children are receiving those same books, they can put their library together and read those books with
their children, and they can compare books that maybe they received when they were a child.
You know, you have books that are staples, but there may be something different that now the new kids are
not receiving. So it allows the parents to build this library for their children that they can then share with their children.
David Latona: So very exciting. What a great program for our state and for the communities served by DEMCO. (04:04):
undefined
Chanon, I don't remember anything that exciting when I was a kid.
Of course, that was a very, very long time ago.
I know after that age, birth to five years old, you've got even more opportunities for early elementary kids.
(04:25):
Tell us about some of those programs available to our member schools.
Chanon Martin: So the children that are in elementary school, we offer safety and classroom presentations where we can talk to (04:29):
undefined
them about electrical safety. We can talk to them about careers.
We participate in career fairs as young as children that are in third grade.
Many elementary schools are offering those opportunities to, you know,
to give the kids something to look forward to.
(04:50):
It gives them exposure to careers that they may not think about.
We have tabletop demonstrations where we can take students through daily scenarios at home,
and it takes them from when they wake up for breakfast. How to be safe with preparing meals all the way to the at night when they
are ready to take their bath, to hit the bed for the night.
And we do this on a consistent basis in all seven parishes that we serve in all of the elementary schools that are in the areas
(05:15):
that we serve. We have our bucket truck demonstrations.
It showcases our trucks, the crews and the safety equipment that it takes to restore power,
to build power lines and to keep the power flowing to homes and businesses in the communities that we serve.
We also have the fire in the wire presentation.
It is a live wire presentation that speaks of the dangers of electricity,
(05:38):
but it also focuses on the safety around it.
It also like our tabletop demonstration, it gives them real life scenarios of how quick an accident can
happen, but they show them how to be safe.
You know, what they should do in different scenarios. And so we use that live wire demonstration,
fire in the wire, to make those presentations on the safety around electrical wires and equipment.
(06:03):
We also have our fan favorite which is our magic show.
The magic show is a partnership with Scott Davis, and it's called Making Accidents Disappear.
He uses three magic words (06:14):
stop, look and think.
It is a crafty way for students to be entertained, but also educated on the safety aspect of being around
electricity. It also helps give them something to remember.
So when they're home, they can tell their parents about this magic show that was sponsored by their local electric cooperative
(06:35):
and how exciting it was. But also, they're able to remember those three magic words that helps them
be a whole lot safer around electricity.
We offer that magic show once a year.
It's typically in the fall. It's one week where we are visiting schools and all of the seven parishes that we serve.
We reach out to schools, we say, "Hey, we have this exciting show that's fun,
(06:56):
but it's also educational around electrical safety." And so we have those schools to tell us whether or not they're interested,
and we work them into the schedule once a year.
David Latona: You probably know more than anybody. (07:05):
undefined
We have so many elementary schools in our service territory being those seven parishes.
It's exciting, but I know at that next level, the teen years, those kids that may be the hardest to reach,
right? But that your team has specific programing to engage those teens.
Chanon Martin: So in 9th and 10th grade, we have the Youth Cooperative Ambassador program. (07:29):
undefined
That program, it gives them an idea of what the electric cooperative business model is.
It exposes them to the principles that cooperatives operate on.
It also exposes them to careers.
They get an opportunity to meet with DEMCO employees and talk about what is necessary to be a DEMCO employee.
(07:52):
They learn about the governance of a cooperative.
They learn what our board of directors are responsible for, how they're elected,
the way that they're trained so that they are running the cooperative effectively.
In addition to that, we partner with the Jumpstart Coalition, and they bring them this live presentation where they go through
scenarios of, "Hey, this is your family dynamics, and this is how much you make.
(08:16):
This is your career. Now you take this budget," and then the students have to walk through purchasing homes.
They have to walk through paying their utility bills.
They have to provide care for their children and feed their families.
And then they go on to do a session on leadership.
We partner with local community people to come in and talk about what is a leader,
what does that look like to you?
(08:37):
Students come in with a definition of what they feel a leader is,
but they leave having a better idea of what leadership means, the roles and the responsibilities of a leader.
Also in that program, the students participate in a community service project.
It's usually one or two projects.
We perform that outside of DEMCO.
They meet here at our headquarters office, but those service projects are in the community.
(09:00):
They're interacting with people that are a part of the seven parishes that we serve.
And once the student becomes a Junior, we have a program that's existed for decades.
It's our essay contest. 11th grade students are prompted to write an essay.
For the last several years, it has been an essay to address an elected official,
and they talk about topics that are important to them.
(09:23):
We use some independent judges, and they narrow those hundreds of essays down to 12.
And those 12 students come to a banquet.
They make an oral presentation of those same essays, and then we select students that we send to D.C.
for a week long trip, where they continue to learn more about cooperatives,
they learn about governance, and they also get to expand their leadership skills.
(09:47):
For our 12th grade students, we have two scholarship programs.
Those programs, one is sponsored through our DEMCO Foundation, and students are eligible to apply for those scholarships.
That information is available on our website.
But DEMCO also has a scholarship through DEMCO, which is an annual drawing that we do each year.
(10:07):
The DEMCO scholarship is awarded at the annual meeting.
We also in addition to those scheduled programing, we also do classroom presentations and career fair visits with
those high school students as well.
David Latona: That's so great. And I know your team through the foundation and also through the youth programs, (10:21):
undefined
you have other opportunities that are not necessarily scheduled.
Like you said, there's the scholarships, but then also you guys do casual visits with them as well,
right? Tell me a little more about the visits you make to schools and some of those appointments.
Chanon Martin: Absolutely. Many of the middle school and high schools have started JAG programs, (10:41):
undefined
and it's jobs across America for students.
And so we will go out to those schools, and we talk to them about careers.
Oftentimes when you think of an electric cooperative, the first or sometimes the only position that they are aware of
(11:02):
are the linemen. And although they are skilled and highly important to the day-to-day operation of electric cooperatives,
there are so many more opportunities for students to learn about careers in electric cooperatives.
So we talked to them about, you know, we have mechanics because those same linemen drive trucks,
so they need somebody to maintain those vehicles.
We talk about the computers that they use.
(11:23):
We have an IT department that makes sure that those computers are operating safely and efficiently.
The people that communicate to our membership, they communicate to the public.
So we talk about all those different positions and those careers and electric cooperatives,
and it gives us an opportunity to let them know what the possibilities are of working in an electric cooperative.
David Latona: So great, so exciting. I know we've talked about a whole lot, but let's say our listeners, (11:42):
undefined
they want to know more about they have a seven year old or a newborn baby.
How can they learn more about the opportunities that the youth programs department has for them and their families?
Chanon Martin: They can visit demco.org/community. (11:58):
undefined
David Latona: Thank you all for listening to Co-op Conversations with DEMCO. (12:03):
undefined
Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
If you liked what you heard, leave us a review and like and share the episode with a friend.
For Chanon Martin, I'm David Latona, let's keep the conversation going.
undefined
your co-op and your community. I'm your host, David Latona.
Joining me today, this is exciting, we've got a long time seasoned veteran from DEMCO,
Chanon Martin, DEMCO's Manager of Member and Community Engagement.
(00:28):
Welcome, Chanon. We have so much to talk about today.
Chanon Martin: Glad to be here. (00:32):
undefined
David Latona: Well, we're glad you're here. Now, Chanon, I've seen on our social channels and also through our (00:33):
undefined
communications that we have so many opportunities for youth in our service territory and in the communities
that we serve. Tell us about the youth outreach, and why is that such a priority for an electric cooperative like
(00:54):
DEMCO?
Chanon Martin: Well, DEMCO being your local electric cooperative, we are member-owned. (00:55):
undefined
We are your friends. We are your neighbors.
We're your family. So invested in those youth programs, it helps youth understand the cooperative business model,
and it shows in the value of a member-owned cooperative.
These programs help us develop skills in young people who will go on to become employees of electric cooperatives.
(01:20):
They will be community leaders. It allows us to enrich the lives of the children who live in all of the parishes that we serve.
It's just the way that we power life and community.
David Latona: That is so great. I love to hear that about our investment. (01:32):
undefined
As you know, one of the largest co-ops in the country.
That's exciting. What I read many times in our publication, and also on the radio advertisements for upcoming
youth programs, is that we have an outreach that is such a priority that we start
(01:56):
from birth. Is that even possible?
Can you start a program for young people when they're born?
How does that happen?
Chanon Martin: The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a free book program. (02:02):
undefined
It provides a book each month for children birth to age five, so parents can register children as soon as they are born.
They receive these books that are age appropriate.
They're able to have the excitement early on about reading.
It gives them a chance to connect learning with DEMCO and their electric cooperative.
(02:24):
They get to spend time with their families, and it just fosters this love for reading.
It was the idea when Dolly Parton started this book giving program to bring excitement around reading.
It helps with early childhood literacy, which is a big deal in the state of Louisiana.
It's important to DEMCO. And so we said, let's back these programs up.
And so we've had things that have existed for decades, but we've never had anything that focuses on children as young as
(02:50):
birth to five.
David Latona: That is so exciting. They get a gift once a month in the mailbox from their co-op. (02:51):
undefined
And also, like you said, for them to be excited about reading.
I know a child that's newly born is too young to read it themselves,
but this will encourage those parents to read to your child, and it's just such a great program.
(03:13):
I'm so excited to be a part of DEMCO and so proud that we have that program here.
Chanon Martin: So you mentioned that it's a gift each month. (03:19):
undefined
That's actually one of the things that sparked Dollie. She said to have the children's name on that book,
because when you receive a gift, it's addressed to you.
So each month this child will have a book that has their name.
And so it has this idea of each month you get a gift, and it's just for you because it's personalized with that child's
name on it. It also gives the child the opportunity to build a library that maybe later on in life,
(03:44):
when their children are receiving those same books, they can put their library together and read those books with
their children, and they can compare books that maybe they received when they were a child.
You know, you have books that are staples, but there may be something different that now the new kids are
not receiving. So it allows the parents to build this library for their children that they can then share with their children.
David Latona: So very exciting. What a great program for our state and for the communities served by DEMCO. (04:04):
undefined
Chanon, I don't remember anything that exciting when I was a kid.
Of course, that was a very, very long time ago.
I know after that age, birth to five years old, you've got even more opportunities for early elementary kids.
(04:25):
Tell us about some of those programs available to our member schools.
Chanon Martin: So the children that are in elementary school, we offer safety and classroom presentations where we can talk to (04:29):
undefined
them about electrical safety. We can talk to them about careers.
We participate in career fairs as young as children that are in third grade.
Many elementary schools are offering those opportunities to, you know,
to give the kids something to look forward to.
(04:50):
It gives them exposure to careers that they may not think about.
We have tabletop demonstrations where we can take students through daily scenarios at home,
and it takes them from when they wake up for breakfast. How to be safe with preparing meals all the way to the at night when they
are ready to take their bath, to hit the bed for the night.
And we do this on a consistent basis in all seven parishes that we serve in all of the elementary schools that are in the areas
(05:15):
that we serve. We have our bucket truck demonstrations.
It showcases our trucks, the crews and the safety equipment that it takes to restore power,
to build power lines and to keep the power flowing to homes and businesses in the communities that we serve.
We also have the fire in the wire presentation.
It is a live wire presentation that speaks of the dangers of electricity,
(05:38):
but it also focuses on the safety around it.
It also like our tabletop demonstration, it gives them real life scenarios of how quick an accident can
happen, but they show them how to be safe.
You know, what they should do in different scenarios. And so we use that live wire demonstration,
fire in the wire, to make those presentations on the safety around electrical wires and equipment.
(06:03):
We also have our fan favorite which is our magic show.
The magic show is a partnership with Scott Davis, and it's called Making Accidents Disappear.
He uses three magic words (06:14):
stop, look and think.
It is a crafty way for students to be entertained, but also educated on the safety aspect of being around
electricity. It also helps give them something to remember.
So when they're home, they can tell their parents about this magic show that was sponsored by their local electric cooperative
(06:35):
and how exciting it was. But also, they're able to remember those three magic words that helps them
be a whole lot safer around electricity.
We offer that magic show once a year.
It's typically in the fall. It's one week where we are visiting schools and all of the seven parishes that we serve.
We reach out to schools, we say, "Hey, we have this exciting show that's fun,
(06:56):
but it's also educational around electrical safety." And so we have those schools to tell us whether or not they're interested,
and we work them into the schedule once a year.
David Latona: You probably know more than anybody. (07:05):
undefined
We have so many elementary schools in our service territory being those seven parishes.
It's exciting, but I know at that next level, the teen years, those kids that may be the hardest to reach,
right? But that your team has specific programing to engage those teens.
Chanon Martin: So in 9th and 10th grade, we have the Youth Cooperative Ambassador program. (07:29):
undefined
That program, it gives them an idea of what the electric cooperative business model is.
It exposes them to the principles that cooperatives operate on.
It also exposes them to careers.
They get an opportunity to meet with DEMCO employees and talk about what is necessary to be a DEMCO employee.
(07:52):
They learn about the governance of a cooperative.
They learn what our board of directors are responsible for, how they're elected,
the way that they're trained so that they are running the cooperative effectively.
In addition to that, we partner with the Jumpstart Coalition, and they bring them this live presentation where they go through
scenarios of, "Hey, this is your family dynamics, and this is how much you make.
(08:16):
This is your career. Now you take this budget," and then the students have to walk through purchasing homes.
They have to walk through paying their utility bills.
They have to provide care for their children and feed their families.
And then they go on to do a session on leadership.
We partner with local community people to come in and talk about what is a leader,
what does that look like to you?
(08:37):
Students come in with a definition of what they feel a leader is,
but they leave having a better idea of what leadership means, the roles and the responsibilities of a leader.
Also in that program, the students participate in a community service project.
It's usually one or two projects.
We perform that outside of DEMCO.
They meet here at our headquarters office, but those service projects are in the community.
(09:00):
They're interacting with people that are a part of the seven parishes that we serve.
And once the student becomes a Junior, we have a program that's existed for decades.
It's our essay contest. 11th grade students are prompted to write an essay.
For the last several years, it has been an essay to address an elected official,
and they talk about topics that are important to them.
(09:23):
We use some independent judges, and they narrow those hundreds of essays down to 12.
And those 12 students come to a banquet.
They make an oral presentation of those same essays, and then we select students that we send to D.C.
for a week long trip, where they continue to learn more about cooperatives,
they learn about governance, and they also get to expand their leadership skills.
(09:47):
For our 12th grade students, we have two scholarship programs.
Those programs, one is sponsored through our DEMCO Foundation, and students are eligible to apply for those scholarships.
That information is available on our website.
But DEMCO also has a scholarship through DEMCO, which is an annual drawing that we do each year.
(10:07):
The DEMCO scholarship is awarded at the annual meeting.
We also in addition to those scheduled programing, we also do classroom presentations and career fair visits with
those high school students as well.
David Latona: That's so great. And I know your team through the foundation and also through the youth programs, (10:21):
undefined
you have other opportunities that are not necessarily scheduled.
Like you said, there's the scholarships, but then also you guys do casual visits with them as well,
right? Tell me a little more about the visits you make to schools and some of those appointments.
Chanon Martin: Absolutely. Many of the middle school and high schools have started JAG programs, (10:41):
undefined
and it's jobs across America for students.
And so we will go out to those schools, and we talk to them about careers.
Oftentimes when you think of an electric cooperative, the first or sometimes the only position that they are aware of
(11:02):
are the linemen. And although they are skilled and highly important to the day-to-day operation of electric cooperatives,
there are so many more opportunities for students to learn about careers in electric cooperatives.
So we talked to them about, you know, we have mechanics because those same linemen drive trucks,
so they need somebody to maintain those vehicles.
We talk about the computers that they use.
(11:23):
We have an IT department that makes sure that those computers are operating safely and efficiently.
The people that communicate to our membership, they communicate to the public.
So we talk about all those different positions and those careers and electric cooperatives,
and it gives us an opportunity to let them know what the possibilities are of working in an electric cooperative.
David Latona: So great, so exciting. I know we've talked about a whole lot, but let's say our listeners, (11:42):
undefined
they want to know more about they have a seven year old or a newborn baby.
How can they learn more about the opportunities that the youth programs department has for them and their families?
Chanon Martin: They can visit demco.org/community. (11:58):
undefined
David Latona: Thank you all for listening to Co-op Conversations with DEMCO. (12:03):
undefined
Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
If you liked what you heard, leave us a review and like and share the episode with a friend.
For Chanon Martin, I'm David Latona, let's keep the conversation going.
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