Attention High School Juniors and Seniors

How would you like a FREE trip to Washington D.C.?

Lake Region Electric will be sponsoring one or two area high school juniors and seniors on an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The week-long trip will be held June 15-21, 2024.

Each June, over 1800 high school juniors and seniors travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Rural Electric Youth Tour. During the week, they learn about Washington, D.C., government, cooperative philosophy, and rural electrification. The student delegates are selected and sponsored by their local rural electric cooperatives. The South Dakota Rural Electric Association (SDREA) coordinates arrangements for the South Dakota students.

Some of the sites that may be toured are the Lincoln Memorial, National Cathedral, The White House, Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, the Metro, Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The Smithsonian, Iwo Jima Statue, National Archives, U.S Supreme Court, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Students will also participate in a briefing with the South Dakota Congressional Delegation.

Who is Eligible? Area high school juniors and seniors whose parents/guardians are members of Lake Region Electric.

What Does It Cost? This trip is free for the students. Lake Region Electric Association, along with the other electric cooperatives that participate in the week-long event, fund the tour. The student’s transportation, room and board, entertainment, and sightseeing events are covered by LREA.

How do I Qualify? Delegates will be selected by LREA after all applications and statements or essays are reviewed. Each Entrant must submit an application and short statement or essay, not to exceed 300 words on the topic, “If chosen as a youth tour delegate, you will be travelling to Washington, D.C. to experience and learn about America’s rich history. What moment in American history do you wish you had been a part of, and what would you have contributed?” Applications are due no later than December 31, 2024!

Applications are available on the website: www.lakeregion.coop or at the Lake Region Electric office in Webster. For more information call Laura at Lake Region Electric 605-345-3379.

Youth Tour - Washington, D.C. Trip

What makes electric cooperatives different from other utilities is that “giving something back to the community” is part of their business plan. Why do electric cooperatives bring high school students to Washington? Because it is important to learn about the political process to interact with your government. The student who wins this trip will walk away from this week as a better leader and a sense that they can make a difference. The Rural Electric Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C., every June since the late 1950s. Students compete for slots for this unique opportunity and are selected for this program by their local electric cooperative.

The featured speakers during National Youth Day provide insight to the important roles electric cooperatives play in their community. Students gain a personal under-standing of American history and their role as a citizen by meeting their representative and senators and explore the sights around the nation’s capitol. 

During the trip, you’ll see tons of sites, meet teens from across the country and gain perspective on community and cooperatives.