Youth Tour

Our Youth Tour program, an opportunity for high school students to visit our nation’s capital, is one of many examples of how electric cooperatives support their local communities.
lineworker grew huddling with one man pointing

Youth Tour

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. Students ages 16-18 are encouraged to apply and are selected for this program by their local electric cooperative. 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 to 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, to lead companies and to 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.

If you want to be part of this fun (free!) week in Washington, please contact your local electric cooperative for additional information.

 

“The Rural Electric Youth Tour is a great avenue for youth to get involved both in the energy production and consumption of their community and in energy policy at a national level. It was a pleasure to meet with the students from southern Minnesota and to hear their thoughts on the renewable energy sources that will come to fruition during their lifetimes. I’m inspired by this future generation of leaders, and I hope to see more students in Washington as part of future Rural Electric Youth Tours.”
Governor Tim Walz

The next Youth Tour will be June 15-20, 2026. To be selected for the Washington D.C. youth tour, you must apply through the electric cooperative that serves your area of the state. Thirty-three of Minnesota’s electric cooperatives participate in the Washington Youth Tour. Each co-op has a unique application process and criteria to select the student or students to be sponsored as delegates. If you are a high school student age 16-18, please contact your local electric cooperative for eligibility requirements.