It's known as a "trip of a lifetime." High school students from across the country visit Washington, D.C., each summer thanks to the support of their local electric cooperatives. They tour historic sites, visit famous landmarks, and make lifelong friends.
The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour traces its origins to a 1957 meeting of electric cooperative leaders from around the country. At that meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson said in his address, “If one thing comes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”
From that address, Youth Tour was born.
Sixty-seven rising high school seniors from across South Carolina will make the trip from the Palmetto State to our nation's capital June 14-19, 2026. They'll join thousands of young people from 44 states.
Below is just a small sample of the things they'll see and do while in D.C.:
- Tour Fort McHenry in Baltimore
- Stop by the White House
- Tour MLK Memorial, Franklin Roosevelt Memorial & Jefferson Memorial
- Tour Mount Vernon
- Visit Arlington National Cemetery
- Take a boat cruise on the Potomac River
- Visit the Smithsonian museums
- Tour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Visit the U.S. Capitol and meet with South Carolina's senators
If you're interested in being part of the 2027 Youth Tour, applications will open in late 2026.
