The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C. for a week in June every year since the late 1950s. We believe that students should see their nation’s capital up close, learn about the political process and interact with their elected officials.
Students gain a personal understanding of American history and their role as a citizen by meeting their Representative and Senators. While student groups are organized at the state level, they all come together for Youth Day, where they get to meet each other and hear featured speakers who provide insight into the important roles electric cooperatives play in their communities.
Nearly 50,000 students from rural areas and small towns across America have participated in this program. Some of our Youth Tour alumni have gone on to design airplanes, lead companies, and serve in the highest ranks of our government, including the U.S. Senate. Don’t be surprised if you run into a former Youth Tour participant who is a congressional aide on Capitol Hill. While several of our alumni work in Washington, you will find even more alumni in your own community.
Four County Electric Membership Corporation sponsors 1 male and 1 female high school junior to attend Youth Tour each year. They are selected by their peers during Youth Leadership Weekend. If you are a junior in high school and interested in attending, please ask your guidance counselor about recommending you to attend Youth Leadership Weekend in March.
Scholarship Opportunity
Students attending the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour are eligible to win the $2,500 Gwen B. Price Scholarship and the $2,000 Katie Bunch Memorial Scholarship. These scholarships are awarded annually at the North Carolina Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting of Members in Raleigh.
These scholarships were established by the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives Volunteers’ Committee to aid young people who have limited financial resources and have exhibited outstanding scholastic and leadership abilities in their quest for a college education.