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High school juniors across Southside Electric Cooperative’s (SEC) service area are invited to apply for next summer’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. SEC will take several students to the nation’s capital June 17-21, 2024, for a week of sightseeing, learning about electric cooperatives, visiting the halls of Congress and meeting students from across America. The Cooperative pays all the expenses for its students. Interested students should apply by Jan. 31, 2024.

While in D.C., Youth Tour delegates and chaperones will tour many of Washington’s monuments and museums, take a dinner cruise on the Potomac, catch a Major League Baseball game, visit an electric cooperative and see a performance at the Kennedy Center. They will spend a day on Capitol Hill, learning about the federal government and meeting members of Congress. Any high school junior who lives and attends school (or home school) in SEC’s 18-county service area can apply.

Students’ parents or guardians do not have to get electricity from SEC. Students must fill out an application and submit a written essay that explains an issue the applicant is interested in that could be discussed with a legislator. Students should describe the issue, tell why they are interested in it and suggest a question they would ask a legislator about the topic. Applications and essays must be received at SEC’s headquarters in Crewe or one of the district offices in Altavista, Crewe, Dinwiddie or Powhatan by Jan. 31.

Applicants will be interviewed in February. Find an application, complete rules and more information at sec.coop/youthtour. For more information, contact Joy Stump at joy.stump@sec.coop or 434-645-3219 or Mark Thomas at mark.thomas@sec.coop or 434-645-3276.