Young people should have the means of visiting Washington, D.C., to see what the flag stands for and electric cooperatives should make it a priority to provide such an experience. That was the message delivered in 1957 by Lyndon B. Johnson in Chicago as he addressed attendees at the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.  For more than five decades, Texas electric cooperatives have heeded that advice, joining other co-ops from across the country in sponsoring trips to the nation’s capital for young students eager to witness government in action. United Cooperative Services has played a pivotal role in giving dozens of young people such an opportunity.

Known as the Government-In-Action Youth Tour, United will again sponsor a trip to Washington, D.C., for four high school students. The students are selected via a contest. The objectives of the Youth Tour are three-fold:

• To educate youth on all aspects of rural electrification in order to promote a better understanding of the value of rural electric cooperatives.
• To provide an opportunity for youth to visit monuments, government buildings and cooperative-related organizations in order to become familiar with the historical and political environment of their nation’s capitol.
• To provide an opportunity for youth to meet elected officials in order to better understand how their federal government works.

Every year, United sponsors four students from the local area for the all-expenses-paid trip.  The nine-day tour includes visits to the Washington Monument, the White House, the U.S. House and Senate Chambers, the Supreme Court, Washington National Cathedral, Arlington National Cemetery, the Smithsonian Institution and a host of other national sites.

Youth Tour Contest Rules

This contest is open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who attend a high school full-time in United’s service area.  The applicant is not required to be a member of United Cooperative Services.  Winners of any past Youth Tour are not eligible to enter and immediate family members of United employees or directors are not eligible to enter.

Each contestant must complete and submit an application.

Original submissions must be submitted to United via e-mail to the following address: YouthTour@united-cs.com.   Online applications and original submissions must be received by March 10, 2008.  

The top applicants will be notified by Monday, March 17.  These applicants will be required to submit a parental release form and two letters of reference (one of which must come from a current teacher, principal or counselor), which must be mailed directly to United.   

The additional documents from the top applicants must be mailed to United by  March 24, 2008.  Mail the documents to: United Cooperative Services; Attn: Youth Tour; P.O. Box 16; Cleburne, TX 76033.  United’s four winners will be selected by an internal panel on or before Tuesday, March 25, 2008.    

The Youth Tour trip will take place June 12-20, 2008.

Click here for the Online Youth Tour Application.

United’s Involvement

The trip includes airfare, transportation, lodging, meals, insurance and admission charges associated with the tour.  The participants will be responsible for any additional spending money for snacks, souvenirs, etc. 

United’s four winners will join approximately 100 students from across Texas.  When the students arrive in Washington, they will join roughly 1,500 students from across the nation.

United’s 2007 Government-in-Action Youth Tour participants were Michael Gardner (Clifton High School), Wesley Martin (Graford High School), Kelsey McKinnon (Dublin High School), and Trevor Yarbrough (Meridian High School).

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