Arizona Electric Cooperative Youth Tour

Johnson, D-Texas, urged directors and staff of the nation’s electric cooperatives to bring young people to Washington to get a first-hand look at how government works.

“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,” Johnson said at the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric C

ooperative Association (NRECA). Then in 1964, NRECA answered the challenge with the formation of the Washington Youth Tour. At its inception, Youth Tour only included 400 young students from just 12 states. Today, it changes lives of over 1,900 students every year. Youth Tour Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association. Every June, Arizona cooperatives help send local high school students to spend a week in the nation’s capital. The program, part of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, engages high school students across the country representing 640 of America’s Electric Cooperatives. In 2022, Arizona was represented by 37 students. The students are sponsored by electric cooperatives — cooperatives that are committed to educating America’s rural youth about America and the role electric cooperatives play in developing strong rural communities. Throughout their week, delegates meet with elected officials, explore museums, visit historical monuments and develop friendships that last a lifetime. They witness firsthand the location of events that shaped our nation. They become inspired to run for office as they watch legislators make decisions that impact them back home. Or, they return ready to tackle challenges, create million-dollar business, and develop innovative products. Youth Tour ignites a passion within delegates to look at the world with a fresh perspective, challenge the status quo, invest in rural America and create change in their communities. Youth Tour is about elevating students to the next level and it all happens in just one week. Working with Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, 768 students from Arizona and California have participated in the Washington Youth Tour since 2000. Participating in the Youth Tour is an awesome way to learn about this great nation, develop leadership skills, gain a better understanding of electric cooperatives and make friendships that will last beyond the week. Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association coordinates Youth Tour to our nation’s capital for the utilities in Arizona that participate in the program.