Youth Tour

Apply for a Trip of a Lifetime!

June 15 to 21, 2024

WHAT IS YOUTH TOUR?

An all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., paid for by Ouachita Electric.

  • A week of visiting historic monuments, touring world class museums and meeting elected officials.
  • Developing lifelong friendships with delegates from across the country!

Delegates selected for educational 2024 Youth Tour

Ouachita Electric Cooperative has selected two delegates to represent the co-op on the 2024 Youth Tour, an all-expenses-paid educational trip to Washington, D.C.

Austin Belt and Emma Tuberville will explore the nation’s capital June 15-21 with delegates from the other Arkansas electric cooperatives. The group will join approximately 1,500 students from across the United States.

During the trip, they’ll learn about electric cooperatives, tour historic sites, monuments and museums and meet members of the Arkansas congressional delegation.

Photo of the capitol buildingYOUTH TOUR HISTORY

Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson inspired the Youth Tour when he addressed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Annual Meeting in Chicago in 1957. The Senator and future president declared, "If one thing goes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents." Consequently, some Texas electric cooperatives sent groups of young people to Washington to work during the summer in Senator Johnson's office. In 1958, a rural electric cooperative in Iowa sponsored the first group of 34 young people on a weeklong study tour of the nation's capital. Later that same year, another busload came to Washington from Illinois. The idea grew and other states sent busloads of young people throughout the summer. By 1959, the "Youth Tour" had grown to 130 youths.

In 1964, NRECA began to coordinate joint activities among the state delegations and suggested that co-op representatives from each state arrange to be in Washington, D.C. during Youth Tour week. The first year of the coordinated tour included approximately 400 young people from 12 states. Word of the program has continued to spread and today, more than 1,300 young people and their chaperones participate in the Youth Tour every year.

The statewide Youth Tour directors arrange their delegation's visits to their U.S. Representatives' and Senators' offices, federal agencies, and other educational and sightseeing activities. In addition to the planned statewide activities, the Youth Tour experience encompasses multi-state activities coordinated by NRECA.

Ouachita Electric has sponsored youth from our service area for many years. Students compete for the opportunity to participate by submitting an essay. Watch for details in the Rural Arkansas magazine for future Rural Electric Youth Tours.

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