(ARLINGTON, Va.) - The National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association (NRECA) next week hosts 1,700 competitively selected
high school students for the association's annual Youth Tour.
Students will meet with their elected officials, engage in
leadership training and bond with students from co-op communities
all across the country.
NRECA initiated Youth Tour after Senator Lyndon Baines... Johnson suggested to co-op leaders at an
NRECA annual meeting that they 'send youngsters to the nation's
capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and
represents.' The tradition of sending students to D.C. continues
each June.
'Young Americans given the opportunity to come to Washington, D.C.
by their electric cooperatives experience a life-changing event.
They talk to their elected officials in person, connect to our
nation's rich history and have a hands-on experience with
democracy,' said NRECA Interim CEO Jeffrey Connor. 'Youth Tour
enriches their understanding of the political process and the vital
importance of direct engagement, and as a result they return to
their communities with a deeper commitment to the communities they
represent.'
Previous Youth Tour participants have become university presidents,
CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and members of Congress. In fact,
Apple CEO Tim Cook credited Youth Tour with his first trip to
Washington in his commencement speech to graduates of George
Washington University in 2015. Over the past 51 years, nearly
50,000 students have visited Washington through Youth Tour.
Electric co-ops from nearly every state selected participants to
receive the expense-paid trip.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation's more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.