SEC’s 2023 Youth Tour delegates pose for photos after visiting the National Zoo.
High school juniors across Southside Electric Cooperative’s service area are invited to apply for next summer’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
SEC will take several students to the nation’s capital June 17-21, 2024, for a week of sightseeing, learning about the electric cooperative industry, visiting the halls of Congress and meeting students from across America. The Cooperative will pay all the expenses for its students.
Interested students should apply by Jan. 31, 2024. The annual trip is organized by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives partnering with local power providers like SEC.
Trip coordinators have already been organizing for next year. Some of the planned activities include visiting Arlington National Cemetery, having a dinner cruise on the Potomac, catching a Major League Baseball game and seeing a performance at the Kennedy Center. Participants will spend a day on Capitol Hill, learning about the federal government and meeting with members of Congress.
Students on this year’s trip had a chance to ask questions of Rep. Bob Good and give him their views on important issues.
“Youth Tour is an amazing opportunity for students to experience many of the iconic sights and attractions in Washington,” says Joy Stump, a community relations coordinator at SEC and one of the trip chaperones. “Every year, students also tell us how much they enjoy meeting other students from across America. I urge high school juniors across our service area to consider applying.”
Any high school junior who lives and attends school (or home school) in the Cooperative’s 18-county service territory is eligible to apply. Students’ parents or guardians do not have to receive electricity from SEC.
Students must fill out an application and submit a written essay. The essay, which should be no longer than 500 words, should explain an issue the applicant is interested in that could be discussed with a legislator. Students should describe the issue, why they are interested in it and suggest a question they would ask a legislator about the topic.
Applications and essays must be received at SEC’s headquarters in Crewe or one of the district offices in Altavista, Crewe, Dinwiddie or Powhatan by Jan. 31. Applicants will be interviewed in February, and SEC’s Youth Tour delegation will be chosen in early March.
Find an application, complete rules and more information at sec.coop/youthtour. Information is also available from counselors at high schools in the Cooperative’s service area and by contacting Stump at [email protected] or 434-645-3219 or Mark Thomas at [email protected] or 434-645-3276.
SEC’s 2023 Youth Tour delegates talk to Rep. Bob Good.
Youth Tour delegates gather for a photo in front of the Supreme Court.