NRECA Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. (June 14-20, 2026)

Central Electric is sponsoring up to four high school juniors to travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Rural Electric Youth Tour. South Dakota’s students will team up with more than 1,000 teens from around the country. High school students learn first-hand what it is like to be involved in politics, community development and today’s social issues. Applicants must be high school juniors who permanently reside in Aurora, Brule, Buffalo, Davison, Hanson, Jerauld, Miner or Sanborn County. They do not need to be members to apply.

Youth Tour is funded by all the rural electric cooperatives that sponsor students in the week-long event. The funding provides for each participants transportation, room and board, entertainment and sight-seeing events. Students are asked to provide their own personal spending money for items such as snacks and souvenirs.

Among the sites that are part of the tour are the Lincoln Memorial, Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, Ford’s Theater, the Kennedy Center, Arlington National Cemetery, the FDR memorial, Iwo Jima Statue, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean war Memorial and the National Archives. Typically included on the tour is a briefing with South Dakota’s Congressional Delegation.

How To Apply

Applicants must be current high school juniors permanently residing in Aurora, Brule, Buffalo, Davison, Hanson, Jerauld, Miner, or Sanborn County of South Dakota. Children and legal dependents of cooperative directors and employees are not eligible.  

Eligible high school juniors should complete the online application. They will be asked to attach an essay and a teacher letter of recommendation.

Student Essay: Electric cooperatives thrive when members work together toward a shared goal. Describe how you have worked with others to improve your school or community. (Attach your original essay to the online form. It should be 4-6 paragraphs in length. Essays should not be generated using any form of artificial intelligence and should be the student’s original writing.)

For more information about the National Rural Electric Youth Tour, visit www.youthtour.org.