The Nebraska Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour is an annual, week long, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to high school students who have participated in the Youth Energy Camp. Nationwide, rural electric providers from 41 states participate. In all, more than 1,500 young people from across the nation gather in Washington, DC, each year for this event.
The cooperative sends a student to Washington, DC, for a variety of reasons including:
High school students who attend the energy camp have the opportunity to compete for a chance to attend the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Youth Tour in Washington D.C. in June of the following year. All expenses are paid by the Niobrara Valley.
Youth Tour 2024 will be held June 20-25
Nebraska delegates will tour the Nation's Capitol including the National Mall and the Smithsonian Museums. Participants will have breakfast with the Nebraska congressional delegation and they will visit congressional offices. Trips outside the Beltway include a visit to Gettysburg and Mount Vernon.
The Washington Youth Tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Nebraska Rural Electric Association and participating members of the NREA. NREA Assistant Director of Government Relations and Grassroots Coordinator, James Dukesherer, serves as Youth Tour Director.
Student participants in the Nebraska Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour may apply to be Nebraska's representative to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Leadership Council (YLC). The YLC is composed of one representative from each of the 41 states that participate in the Youth Tour. YLC members have the opportunity for additional free travel and leadership training.
The cooperative sends a student to Washington, DC, for a variety of reasons including:
- Educating students about the role of rural electric systems in the national economy;
- Fostering students' appreciation for the democratic form of government;
- Exposing students to the sights and sounds of our nation's heritage; and
- Building students' leadership skills so that they may make a difference in their rural communities.
High school students who attend the energy camp have the opportunity to compete for a chance to attend the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Youth Tour in Washington D.C. in June of the following year. All expenses are paid by the Niobrara Valley.
Youth Tour 2024 will be held June 20-25
Nebraska delegates will tour the Nation's Capitol including the National Mall and the Smithsonian Museums. Participants will have breakfast with the Nebraska congressional delegation and they will visit congressional offices. Trips outside the Beltway include a visit to Gettysburg and Mount Vernon.
The Washington Youth Tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Nebraska Rural Electric Association and participating members of the NREA. NREA Assistant Director of Government Relations and Grassroots Coordinator, James Dukesherer, serves as Youth Tour Director.
Student participants in the Nebraska Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour may apply to be Nebraska's representative to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Leadership Council (YLC). The YLC is composed of one representative from each of the 41 states that participate in the Youth Tour. YLC members have the opportunity for additional free travel and leadership training.