Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) has invited area high school juniors to apply for the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.

This year’s trip, sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and cooperatives across the nation, will take place June 12-16.

According to a press release, eight students will be chosen from SEC’s 18-county service territory and will join 1,500 other high school students and 250 chaperones from electric cooperatives in 44 states. All expenses associated with the 5-day trip to Washington will be provided by SEC. 

Participants will enjoy touring various museums and monuments, a visit to Capitol Hill to discuss current issues with their members of Congress, a cruise on the Potomac River and a Washington Nationals baseball game.

The students will learn how electric cooperatives like SEC not only provide reliable and affordable electricity, but also contribute to the communities they serve.

Attendees will gain a personal understanding of their role as citizens and will have the opportunity to be selected to the NRECA Youth Leadership Council.

Conner Francis, a 2015 Youth Tour participant from Campbell County, said, “It was really cool to meet our elected officials and learn about politics up close. Plus, we made new friends from nearly every state and experienced history firsthand. It really made us think about what it means to be an American, and shows that people our age do care about this country.”

Youth Tour participants are chosen based on a competitive application process. To qualify, students must be high school juniors who live or attend school within SEC’s geographic boundaries. A map of SEC’s service territory can be found at: www.sec.coop/locations.

Membership in the Cooperative is not required to apply. Applications are being accepted through March 11.

For more information and to apply, visit www.sec.coop/YouthTour or contact SEC’s community relations coordinators Jacob McCann at (434) 645-3288 or jacob.mccann@sec.coop, Mark Thomas at (434) 645-3276 or mark.thomas@sec.coop or Fred Davis at (434) 645-3219 or fred.davis@sec.coop.

Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative that serves over 55,000 homes and businesses in portions of 18 counties in central and southern Virginia. Headquartered in Crewe, SEC has district offices in Altavista, Crewe, Dinwiddie and Powhatan.