The Kentucky Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour is an annual, week long, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to select high school students whose homes are served by electric cooperatives.

 

Twenty-two of Kentucky’s 24 electric cooperatives participate in the Kentucky Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour.

 

Although all participants must be between their junior and senior years in high school and no older than 18 at the time of the Washington trip, each electric co-op has a unique method of selecting students for the trip. Some co-ops hold essay contests; some rely on personal interviews; some administer qualifying exams.

 

Students interested in the Washington Youth Tour trip must apply through the electric co-op that serves their area of the state. For example, students living in the Hopkinsville area may only apply through Pennyrile Electric Cooperative while students living in the Somerset area may only apply through South Kentucky RECC.