Each year, hundreds of students — selected by their local electric cooperatives — travel to Washington, D.C., for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. The idea for Youth Tour came from President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1957, when he was a still a United States senator.
Johnson suggested, “sending youngsters to the nation’s capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.” The idea evolved into an organized, fun, and educational trip in the 1960s. Since then, electric cooperatives from across the United States continue to send over 1,500 youth to Washington, D.C., every summer.
Carys Kudron, from Fort Morgan High School, was selected by Morgan County REA to attend this year’s tour. Throughout the weeklong adventure, Carys had a front row seat to both state and federal government, memorials, museums, and other special places.
“I met people from all over,” Carys recalled. “On the trip, we swapped state-themed pins with other students at Youth Tour. The pin I received from farthest away was from Rhode Island.”
The Colorado and Wyoming delegations traveled together on this year’s tour, where they visited sites such as Capitol Hill, Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon, and the National Cathedral — just to name a few. Carys enjoyed many of the stops, but a few really stood out.
“The Library of Congress was fascinating and I learned so much. It has two copies of every book ever published, in addition to beautiful artwork and architecture,” Carys said. “The Smithsonian museums were also cool, especially the Museum of Natural History.”
The group visited many memorials, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. “The Lincoln Memorial was my favorite,” Carys mentioned.
While Youth Tour is centered around our nation’s capital, it also aims to teach students more about electric cooperatives.
“A new thing I learned about electric co-ops is how much politics are involved,” Carys shared. “We learned how President Franklin D. Roosevelt played a role in starting electric cooperatives in the 1930s and how policy continues to impact them today.”
At this year’s Youth Tour, Carys gained a wealth of knowledge, new friends, and lifelong memories.
“One of my favorite parts of the trip was visiting the National Harbor on our final night in D.C., where I got to ride the Capital Wheel with my friends,” Carys says. “The whole trip was amazing.”
Each year, MCREA selects a student to attend Washington D.C. Youth Tour, an all-expense paid trip. Applications open in December and are open to students whose families are MCREA members.
To learn more about MCREA’s youth programs, visit mcrea.org/youth-programs.bill.
