Debating political and social issues of the day and interacting with the people who create state policies might not sound like the typical teenage summer, but three local high school students had an experience in civic engagement that was catered just for them.

Antonio Grether of Hardeeville, Xander Buzzell of Estill and Cole Mustard of Hilton Head were sponsored by Palmetto Electric Cooperative on Cooperative Youth Summit, a four-day exploration of their state’s capital, advocacy and the cooperative business model in July. 

Palmetto Electric’s student delegates were among 45 teens from across South Carolina who visited Gov. Henry McMaster’s office and later heard from South Carolina legislators Rep. Micah Caskey and Sen. Mike Fanning about their role and responsibilities as future voters and leaders.

“What stood out was the ability to meet new people and see new things,” says Buzzell. “I’ve never even been to the Statehouse before. It was great to see that politicians really do care.”

Throughout the week, the students worked in teams to develop presentations in which they took competitive stances on current political and cultural issues, such as banning TikTok or the war in Ukraine. Even though (749) Grether’s team didn’t win the competition (and the $1,000 prize that went to each winner), he says he gained a lot from the exercise. 

“That project was one of the best parts of the week,” says Grether, whose group argued in favor of stricter regulations on artificial intelligence. “It was stressful, but my team worked hard. We had a lot of different ideas about the points we should make, but it helped me learn about being a team player.”