Story and photos by Dianna Troyer
ICUA Youth Rally teaches United Electric teens lifelong tips to derail stress, be themselves, and live like champions.
How do you derail inevitable stress throughout life?
“There are ways for you to pump the brakes on stress,” says Karrie Carnes, public affairs specialist with Bonneville Power Administration. “You can use these tips the rest of your lives.”
Karrie, a certified yoga teacher trained to deal with trauma, shared stress management tips with United Electric Co-op teens in July. They were among 79 participants attending the weeklong Idaho Consumer-Owned Utilities Association Youth Rally at Northwest Nazarene College.
The youth rally helps foster the next generation of leaders and encourages teens to understand what leadership is truly about: doing the right thing at the right time, making tough calls, accepting responsibility, and saying no to the poisons of the world while saying yes to yourself.
Teens sponsored by United Electric were returning director Tegan Terry, Lexie Williams, Lindsey Seibold, Tyler Abenroth, Coulson Bliss, and Natalia Yearsley.
To relieve stress and anxiety, Karrie taught teens an exercise called 5 things— name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste.
Students also practiced box breathing.
Inhale for a count of 4, then hold your breath at the top of the inhale for a count of 4,” she says. “Then exhale for a count of 4, and then hold at the bottom of the exhale for a count of 4.”
Speaker Ben Kjar told teens to be themselves.
“God created you to shine with your unique skills and talents,” he says. “Life happens when you are yourself.”
Born with Crouzon syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting the growth of his skull bones, Ben endured painful facial reconstructive surgeries and taunts from his peers about his irregular features.
His mother advised him to be “a victor, not a victim.”
Taking her advice, Ben became a champion. He was a 3-time state champion wrestler in high school, an All-American at Utah Valley University, and an alternate for the 2012 U.S. Olympic wrestling team.
Wanting to share his wrestling tips and to encourage youth, Ben opened a training center in Woods Cross, Utah.
To help keep his perspective when facing challenges, Ben taught an affirmation he wrote to the teens, who echoed each line as he led them in a chant:
Now, I choose me.
I make a difference.
I fight for light.
I ignite extraordinary.
Now watch me.
Defy the odds.
I am a victor.
I was born to stand out.
Stand out.
Stand out.”
Other speakers covered various topics. Teens were advised on personal finance and how to set a budget to save money.
Peers from a local detention center described their struggles with drug and alcohol abuse and encouraged participants to make healthy choices.
Shauna Sauer described the lingering impact of her daughter, Taylor, dying in an automobile accident in 2012 because she was texting about the Broncos playing in the Super Bowl. She launched a “Don’t Let Your Send Be the End” campaign.
Participants also learned about electric co-ops, careers within the utility industry, and the basics of electricity. They watched a safety demonstration, toured the Idaho Capitol, performed in a talent show, spent a day at a water park, attended a formal banquet and dance, earned scholarships, and made lifelong friendships.
Throughout the ICUA Youth Rally, observers scored students for participation, communication, personal growth and leadership. At the end of the week, outstanding achievement awards and scholarships totaling more than $12,000 were awarded based on each student’s individual scores.